


Secrets and Betrayals

by LilyTheNinjaGirl



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-18
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 17:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 101,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7232770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyTheNinjaGirl/pseuds/LilyTheNinjaGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ladybug and Chat Noir get into a fight, they end their friendship, each vowing that they never want to see the other again. But when Adrien, Marinette's school crush, disappears and she can't find Chat anywhere, she fears that Chat Noir has kidnapped Adrien out of rage. When she finds Chat beaten and bloody on a rooftop, will the two be able to trust each other again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

THIS FIC HAS BEEN POSTED UP TO CHAPTER 32 (currently) ON FANFICTION.NET AND IT WILL ALSO BE POSTED ON WATTPAD AS WELL AS ON HERE. 

Secrets and Betrayals

Summary: When Ladybug and Chat Noir get into a fight, they end their friendship, each vowing that they never want to see the other again. But when Adrien, Marinette's school crush, disappears and she can't find Chat anywhere, she fears that Chat Noir has kidnapped Adrien out of rage. When she finds Chat beaten and bloody on a rooftop, will the two be able to trust each other again?

A/N: Hey everyone, I thought that the only fandom I would ever belong to was the TMNT fandom. Boy was I wrong! I saw pictures of these characters everywhere on tumblr and didn't know who they were, so I looked them up and started watching the show. 19 episodes later, I am officially obsessed. So of course I couldn't resist writing a fanfic for it. This is my first Miraculous; Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir fanfic that I started after four days of watching and rewatching all the current episodes of the show, so I'm bound to get stuff wrong. Forgive me and feel free to correct me! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own this show or the characters, all rights go to their respective owners.

Chapter 1: The Fight

For Marinette, the day started as every other. She slept through her alarm clock and woke up late, exhausted from another akuma battle that had lasted until around 3:00am. Eventually and as always, she and Chat Noir had managed to defeat the poor akumatized person and de-evilize the akuma before stumbling off in separate directions, yawning and rubbing their eyes.

Marinette rushed about in a blind panic, throwing on her pink pants, flowered shirt, and black jacket. Tikki helped by dragging Marinette's schoolbooks into her school bag and finding her hair brush. Marinette quickly brushed her dark hair and put it into her signature two pig tails.

She stopped and allowed herself a couple seconds to gaze dreamily at her largest poster of Adrien. She stared at his gorgeous green eyes. And the way that one strand of hair fell into the perfect place on his forehead...

"Marinette!" Tikki squeaked, snapping the girl out of her thoughts.

"Sorry Tikki," she apologized. She opened her purse and the little kwami dove into it. Marinette ran down the stairs, grabbing a croissant on the way out. Then she ran as fast as her legs would take her in the direction of her school.

When she reached her classroom, she opened the door and tiptoed inside. Her teacher was facing the chalk board, allowing her to slip into her normal seat next to her best friend without being noticed. She ignored Alya's questioning look and shook her head. All of her other classmates had their heads buried in their textbooks. Perfect.

As Marinette pulled out her History book, she was staring at one head in particular. Adrien's golden hair glistened in the sunlight that was streaming in through the classroom windows. She noticed that he was yawning and he had dark circles under his eyes.

"What's up with Adrien? Is he okay?" she whispered to Alya.

"I don't know, I'll ask Nino later," Alya promised.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng," her teacher's voice rang out. "Not only are you late to class almost every day, but you don't even have the decency to listen to me when you are around to hear what I have to teach you. Go to the principal's office!"

Marinette inwardly groaned as she put the History textbook back into her pink bag. She felt her purse rustle against her side and she knew she would be receiving a lecture from Tikki later.

She got up and walked to the front of the classroom. As she passed Adrien he gave her a sympathetic smile. Her heart skipped a beat. Unfortunately, her feet did as well. She tripped and went down, slamming her elbow against the ground. Her teacher stared at her crossly but made no comment. Chloe's laughter filled her ears.

She pushed herself up off of the ground and hurriedly walked out of the classroom, her cheeks red from embarrassment. Luckily, Adrien had been too busy yawning too notice.

A half an hour later, she left the principal's office with an hour of detention and a note for her parents explaining that she was late almost every day. She had no doubt that now they were going to restrict how late she could be out, making the Ladybug half of her life even more difficult than it had been before. She felt like screaming.

Tikki hadn't helped when she reminded Marinette that if she hadn't been talking to Alya, which had absolutely nothing to do with being Ladybug, she probably wouldn't have gotten sent to the principal's office. Marinette had to admit that her little kwami was right, but that didn't make her any less frustrated.

On her way down the hallway, she ran right into someone. She was knocked over backwards and landed on her butt. She looked up, hoping it was anyone but Chloe. As soon as she saw who it was, she wished it had been Chloe.

"He- Hi Adrien," Marinette stammered nervously, scrambling to her feet. "You're so sorry! I mean, I'm so sorry for you, I mean, I'm sorry that you, I mean, that I, uh, crashed into you..." She felt the back of her neck turn red.

"Hey Marinette," he said. He yawned loudly again. "No problem. Did you get into much trouble with the principaaaaaaaaaaaa.." He finished with a yawn. He shook his head slightly as if to wake himself up. "I'm sorry, I'm just really tired," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"Uh, that's okay. That you're tired and stuff. Um, what are you doing outside of class?" she finished lamely.

"The teacher sent me home because I was yawning so much. She gave me a note for my father and told me that I should take a nap this afternoon and take tomorrow off." Great, now she wouldn't see Adrien at all until Wednesday!

"That's terrible!" Marinette exclaimed without thinking. "I mean, that you're tired, not that you won't be in school for me to, ACK! For you to learn... and stuff." She mentally facepalmed.

"Okay, uh, see you tomorrow," Adrien flashed her a picture perfect smile and yawned again as he walked away. Marinette winced and stomped in the opposite direction. How could that conversation have been any more embarrassing? What was it about Adrien Agreste that made her so brain dead?

By the time school was over, Chloe and Sabrina had completely humiliated her for both getting in trouble and tripping on the way out, Chloe had cried fake tears when she found out Adrien was sent home, Nino hadn't been able to tell her anything about Adrien, and Alya had ditched her to go and see an exhibit about ladybugs in the local garden for info for her Ladyblog.

By the time she got home, Marinette then had to face extra homework, and disappointed parents. They had, as she had predetermined, decided to give her a strict ten o'clock curfew. They had in addition decided that they would drive her to school every day, therefore limiting her freedom even more.

By the time that it was time for her to transform into Ladybug and patrol the city, her parents told her that she needed to go to bed and they would check on her in an hour to make sure she was asleep and hadn't snuck out. And all of this had led to the worst bad mood she had ever been in. Even Tikki hadn't managed to dissipate her temper in the slightest.

"Tikki, spots on!" she whispered. She transformed into Ladybug and slipped outside her window. She set her alarm on her phone for forty five minutes, giving herself plenty of time to wrap up whatever she was doing and get home before her parents checked on her. Then she swung off into the night.

The wind pressing against her face and lifting her hair back gave Ladybug an exhilarated feeling. Here, she was finally free. She didn't have to worry about disappointing her parents. She didn't have to worry about getting her homework done. And she didn't have to worry about embarrassing herself in front of a golden haired guy.

Speaking of which, where was her other golden haired guy? It wasn't like Chat Noir to miss a patrol, and she was already standing right on their normal roof top meeting place. She sat down on an air vent and drummed her fingers against the metal.

"Bored already, Milady?" a voice rang out. "Get excited, because here comes your favorite cat!" Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"Very funny Chat," she said sarcastically. "Does everything have to be a joke to you?"

"Woah, somebody's got a cat-titude tonight!" Chat exclaimed, flipping off of the roof and landing next to the spotted girl. His green eyes and blonde hair were the only things visible in the darkness.

Ladybug gnashed her teeth together, but held her tongue. This was her partner, Chat Noir. It wasn't his fault that she had had a bad day. Sure, she sometimes despised puns, but that was just his sense of humor. She took a deep breath.

"See any action on your way over?" she asked.

"Nope."

"Dang, I need to punch something tonight."

"Well, you don't need to purr-suade me to join you!"

"CHAT!"

###########################################################################

Fifteen minutes and several blocks later, the super hero duo was ready to quit. Chat Noir had to admit to himself that he was absolutely exhausted, but he treasured every minute he had with Ladybug. They were, pardon the pun, purr-ecious to him.

"I think that we can safely assume nothing's happening tonight," Ladybug sighed. She had blown off some steam while running across the rooftops of Paris, but the reminder of what tomorrow would bring kept her temper flared.

"That's weird. Hawkmoth usually sends out at least one akuma a day. Maybe he couldn't find anyone emotional enough to akumatize?"

"With a city full of this many people, that's impossible," Ladybug said, shaking her head. "Maybe he's also tired from that stupid fight last night."

"Would you like to take a quick cat nap with me?" Chat Noir offered, leaning in close and gesturing to the soft grass that they were standing on in the park.

Ladybug had had enough of that. "Can you stop with the stupid cat jokes and the never ending cat PUNS? You are driving me CRAZY!" she barked. Chat was startled. She never really yelled at him for using so many cat puns before. He knew that she pretended to hate them, but he had caught her laughing at them when she thought he wasn't looking plenty of times.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Just trying to brighten the mood."

"My MOOD doesn't need brightening, thank you very much! I can't stand it! Every other second, even in the middle of SERIOUS FIGHTS, you're making those stupid jokes! I hope you want your last words to be a cat pun, because that's what's going to happen if you keep doing that!" He could hear the venom in her voice.

For some reason, maybe because he was exhausted and wasn't thinking straight, maybe because he secretly loved his jokes and puns because that was him and his sense of humor, which he never got to express with anyone else, but whatever it was, Chat Noir finally snapped.

"Can you back off? I happen to like to stay paw-sitive, and if I want to make jokes that's my problem, not yours! Have I ever FAILED to help you win a fight? Have you ever won a fight without me? I don't think so!" he hissed.

"Oh please, I could win a fight without you any day!" she spat back.

"Oh yeah, I'd like to see you prove that! Remember Anti-bug? You would never have known that the akuma was in her earrings without me! She would've crushed you like the bug you are!"

"Last time I checked, she captured you and tied you to your own baton and then dangled you over the edge of a building. Where was your sense of humor THEN?" she yelled. "And wait, the BUG THAT I AM? IS THAT ALL YOU THINK OF ME? DO YOU JUST USE ME AS A MEANS TO ACHIEVE FAME BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT STRONG ENOUGH OR SMART ENOUGH TO DO IT YOURSELF?"

"I THINK IT'S YOU WHO USES ME! YOU'VE NEVER WON A FIGHT WITHOUT ME! AND EVERYONE'S LIKE, AMAZING LADYBUG, PERFECT LADYBUG, CLEVER LADYBUG! LADYBUG, LADYBUG, LADYBUG! I NEVER GET ANY OF THE CREDIT! YOU'VE NEVER CARED ABOUT ME AT ALL!"

"What do you mean, care about you?" Her voice lowered to an icy whisper. "Aw, is it because I don't love you? I don't return your romantic feelings you've only ever expressed through stupid jokes and horrible flirting? I happen to have someone I like in real life. His name is Adrien, and he's twice the guy you could ever be!"

At the name 'Adrien' Chat Noir's eyes widened, and then narrowed. That was the last straw. He loved Ladybug more than anything in the world, and she had thrown his heart in the dirt. It hurt so badly. And possibly all because of his secret identity. The side of himself that he HATED to be!

"Fine, if you don't need me, then I won't bother you. But don't come crying to when you find out that the miraculous Ladybug can't do anything without Chat Noir," he hissed at her angrily. The rejection and anger in his voice clearly showed. This seemed to make Ladybug even more mad, if possible.

"Fine, but when you don't have anyone who loves you anymore, who adores you because of stupid heroics you never even manage to pull off correctly, you'd better not come back and beg at my feet. We're done." She slammed her fist, which she had so often bumped against his after a successful fight, into a tree next to him.

"Agreed. I never want to see your face again," he snarled. He slammed his fist into the tree as well, sealing the pact. The duo was no more. The partnership, the friendship, something that he had hoped and wished and prayed could turn into more, was over. And he felt glad. He was so unbelievably angry at her. He turned on his tail and strode away.

Chat Noir turned and looked back one last time as she threw her yoyo and swung into the trees. And then she was gone from his view. And his life.

And that's when it all came crashing down around. He would never see his beautiful, smart, heroic Ladybug ever again. He would never know whose pretty bluebell eyes were hidden behind that mask. He would never get to pull her into his arms and kiss her. His heart throbbed. How could he have lost his temper? How could he have said those terrible things to her?

He felt the tears begin to fall, but he didn't even try to stop them. This was all his fault. He didn't care if he could never tell a pun again, he just wanted her back. He didn't care if she never loved him back the way he loved her. Every moment that he spent with her made the other moments as Adrien bearable. And now his life was empty. He had no purpose.

Chat rushed blindly across the rooftops, not caring as the tears kept falling. The wind brushed them out of the way, but they came so fast that his vision was blurry anyway. He tripped over air vents and stumbled around satellite dished. He ran until he reached his bedroom window. He slipped inside and detransformed. He dumped Plagg into a bowl of Camembert, were he knew the kwami would stay busy for awhile and wouldn't bother him. The he collapsed on his bed and let the tears flow.

"Adrien?" a voice called. He sat up suddenly and brushed his tears away. The door swung open and his father's assistant, Natalie, came in. "Adrien, I showed your father the note from your teacher and he seems concerned. He says- Adrien, are you sure you're okay?" she asked suddenly, noticing his red eyes.

"Yeah, Natalie, I'm fine," he sighed tiredly. She eyed him suspiciously.

"Well then, your father would like for you to stay home tomorrow and possibly the next day."

"Okay, Natalie, I'm sure I just need some sleep," Adrien sighed, trying not to let the tears bubble back up. He had nowhere to go anyway. He didn't want to go to school, he was positive that whoever Ladybug was, she went to his school. And there was no point in going on patrol anymore, or seeking out akuma victims to fight with.

Natalie shut the door to his room and left. Adrien collapsed back onto the bed and let the tears come again. He couldn't stop thinking about her. What had she said earlier? "I don't return your romantic feelings you've only ever expressed through stupid jokes and horrible flirting?"

The one time he had tried to tell her that he loved her, he had taken an arrow to the back to save her. And he had been so horribly cruel to her after that... He didn't even know how she had managed to break him out of it. Suddenly, he sat up and crossed the room. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a pink card in the shape of a heart.

He felt his heart break as read the lines. He crumpled the card into a ball and then threw it across the room. Plagg peaked out of the cheese bowl, but he chose not to say anything. Adrien needed time alone, even from the other half of his soul.

He watched as Adrien sighed and followed the path the card had taken through the air. Adrien picked it up and smoothed it out. He wiped one last tear away before slipping the card underneath his pillow and pulling up the covers. Maybe he could have one last night full of dreams where he and Ladybug sailed across the rooftops, together in perfect harmony.

Plagg flew over and nestled himself into Adrien's pillow. Poor kid. Plagg didn't know what to do next. But things couldn't stay like this. All of Paris and even the world depended on Ladybug and Chat Noir together. He needed to talk to Tikki. Undoubtedly she would try to talk Ladybug out of it, but he wasn't sure that would work. But fate would bring the two teens together again. It was just a matter of whether it would have to happen the easy way or the hard way. And if there was something Plagg couldn't bear to see, it was Adrien getting seriously hurt.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Next chapter should be up soon! Please review if you liked it!


	2. Regrets and Resolutions

Chapter 2: Regrets and Resolutions

Ladybug was shaking with anger as she made her way back to the roof of her house. She couldn't believe it! She didn't need him! She never did! All he did was boast and brag and flirt and make puns!

"Sometimes they were funny puns," she thought suddenly. She immediately pushed the thought deep into the back of her mind. There was no turning back now. No regrets. Besides, being Ladybug and Marinette had been so complicated before. Now she didn't have to worry about keeping track of that crazy cat. She didn't have to worry about him getting somewhere on time, or insisting that she stay before she was about to detransfrom so he could tell her something.

"It really will be easier without Chat Noir," she thought. "This is for the best." She nodded her head firmly. Besides, there was nothing she could do. Chat Noir would never forgive her. He was too prideful. Or maybe she was too prideful to admit that she was wrong.

"But I'm not," she reminded herself. There was something nagging her in the back of her mind, but she ignored it. She slipped through the still open window and detransformed. She gently set Tikki down on her desk and handed her a cookie. Then she slipped into her bed and pulled the covers over her head.

Just then, the trap door slid open and her parents stuck their heads into her room. Upon seeing their daughter sleeping peacefully upon her bed, they slid it shut again and went off to go to bed. But Marinette was anything but peaceful at the time. She was still angry at Chat Noir. How could he claim that she took all the credit? She had always said that they were a team! And that she couldn't do it without him!

"But I can. He was always jealous of me. He's only in it for the fame!" Images flashed before her. The time when he took the hit from Timebreaker for her, the way he hugged her when he thought that she had gotten eaten by the T-rex. And when he took the hatred arrow in the back for her. The kiss...

It was all a ploy! It was all to use her for fame and to gain the adoration of many! He always joked around, flirting with her and every other lady that he came into contact with, probably. She would love to see his face if she revealed that she was actually Marinette and that he had openly played hero with someone who had saved him so many times before.

Chat could never love her. It was all a joke to him. And if for some obscure reason he had, her heart was already taken by another. Adrien. Who was mild mannered and perfect and nice to everyone! Who did everything his father told him to do without complaining a bit even if he hated it. Who stood up for his friends. Adrien. Chat Noir was nothing like him.

The guilt and question in Marinette's mind was replaced with anger. She had convinced herself that he never liked her, he just used her. And she didn't need him. He was just a burden. She kept repeating that in her mind. "I don't need him. I never have. He only cares about fame. It's all a joke. He's a burden. I don't need him..."

She snuggled down to sleep. Maybe she could have one last night full of dreams about her and Chat Noir, racing across rooftops, saving the day. The heroic duo of Paris! Best friends, who worked together in perfect harmony. She could almost hear their voices together say, "Pound it!"

Tikki watched Marinette fall into a deep slumber. This was bad, very bad. She hadn't said anything to Marinette tonight. She knew whatever she said would only fuel the rage that Marinette convinced herself to have for Chat Noir. And that would only lead to disaster and destruction...

She had no doubt that Plagg was counting on her to talk Marinette out of it. And she was counting on him to keep Chat Noir's spirits up. No doubt the poor boy was crushed. Sometimes it felt so cruel that she and Plagg couldn't reveal the teen's identities to each other. But Plagg had told her that Chat Noir really did love Marinette. And Tikki had already guessed that, the way he looked at her and was willing to do anything for her...

She sighed. Fate would bring the two teens together again. It was just a matter of whether it would have to happen the easy way or the hard way. And if there was something Tikki couldn't bear to see, it was Marinette getting seriously hurt.

###############################################################################

"Honey! It's time to get up!" a loud voice boomed. Marinette groaned.

"Coming, Papa!" she called. She dragged herself out of bed and got dressed. As she pulled her hair up, she tried to remember why her pillow would be wet with tears. It all came flooding back. Chat Noir. That absolute jerk.

"I won't let him ruin my day," she mumbled out loud to herself. "I'm done with him anyway. I won't have to see him ever again."

"I know who you're talking about," Tikki said, zooming out from underneath Marinette's bed.

"Oh please tell me you're not going to give me a lecture on how I should forgive him," Marinette groaned. "Tikki, my identity is more safe now. You're more safe too. And we won't have to watch his back for him any more. It'll be easier to take down villians. He can't de-evilize the akuma anyway. He really does need me." She smirked at the thought.

"Marinette!" Tom yelled up at her, startling her. Tikki sighed sadly and slid into her purse as she went down the stairs.

"Here's your breakfast, sweetheart," Sabine said with a smile, handing Marinette a brown paper bag. Okay, maybe this arrangement would work. How often did people need Ladybug at exactly this time in the morning anyway?

"Bye mom!" she waved at her mother and climbed into her dad's car. Her father was even taking time off from the bakery to drive her to school just because they thought she needed help. They were so sweet, they would do anything for her. Unlike someone else...

"If you're going to keep obsessing over mean thoughts to try and convince yourself he's a jerk, you should probably just avoid the thought of him entirely," Tikki whispered. Marinette shushed her.

She got into her classroom in time. When she remembered that Adrien wouldn't be here today, she frowned. Oh well, she wouldn't hardly be able to talk to him anyway. Espescially after yesterday. Maybe after a day off he would forget about that.

"Well, look who's on time. Maybe now we can have our conversation before class instead of during it," Alya said while sliding into her seat.

"Hey Alya," Marinette greeted her friend.

"Hey girls," Nino greeted the both of them as he sat down in front of them and twisted around in his seat. "Adrien won't be here today. So I guess it's just you and me," he said, raising his eyebrows playfully.

"Yeah, he said something about the teacher giving him a note because he looked so tired...That doesn't seem like something she would do," Marinette said, confused.

"Dude, she didn't even notice Adrien until Chloe made a huge fuss over it. Said that Adrien needed to look fresh and handsome for his next photo shoot," Nino laughed. Alya rolled her eyes and Marinette growled.

"Look on the bright side, there won't be any drama today," Alya whispered to Marinette as they pulled out their textbooks. No sooner had the words left her mouth than loud sirens went off in the school.

"Everyone, you know the drill! School is dismissed! Get home quickly and stay in safety!" the teacher barked. The students cheered and then made a mad dash for the door. Alya pulled out her phone.

"You know what this means! Hey girl, you wanna come with me? You might even get to see LADYBUG!" Alya squealed.

"And risk getting myself into some of the crazy situation you get yourself into? No thanks!" Marinette exclaimed. She dashed out of the classroom and into the girl's bathroom. "Tikki, spots on!" she called. She transformed into Ladybug and dashed out the door.

She zipped along the rooftops, following the police sirens and the screams until she found the akumatized victim. Whatever had kept Hawkmoth busy yesterday was apparently gone. She found herself staring at a man dressed entirely in a camoflauge suit, with a camo cape. He had a gun over his shoulder.

"I am the Trapper!" he roared. "I can catch anything! You can't tell me when and where I can hunt! I can hunt whatever I want!" He started shooting at the civilians, who all collapsed at his feet. Ladybug frantically ran up to one of the victims and checked for a pulse. Firmly there. That's when she saw the tranq dart in his side. So the Trapper was tranquilizing them...interesting.

"Where is Chat-" she started to say out loud and then stopped abruptly. "Right, I don't need him. And here's my chance to prove it!"

She threw her yoyo at the Trapper's arm, throwing off his aim. Then she yanked backwards. He flew towards her and crashed against the ground. He shook himself and stood, grinning maniacally.

"Ah look, a ladybug. One of my favorite things to hunt. Small and quick, tricky to catch. But nothing can escape the Trapper!" He yanked the wrist that had her yoyo wrapped around it and she flew forwards, slamming into the wall. But she was determined to see this fight through. There was no point in waiting.

"Lucky Charm!" she called out, spinning her yoyo in the air. It formed into a peice of paper and fluttered downwards towards her. She caught it and looked at it. It was a picture of Chat Noir. "Now this really is a useless Lucky Charm," she muttered. She dropped it into the dirt.

The Trapper slammed his elbow into her gut. Ladybug groaned in pain and flipped over him, kicking the back of his head. He grabbed her leg and slammed her onto the ground, and then pinned her down. The Hawkmoth symbol appeared over his eyes, showing that he was communicating with his evil master.

"Of course master, it will be done. But I have this one in my grasp! No sense in letting her go now! Oh, very well. No animal can escape the Trapper!" Suddenly, he looked up. He turned towards a nearby building and sniffed the air. "Purr-fect," he cackled maniacally. He released Ladybug and disapeared in a cloud of smoke.

Suddenly, the world returned to normal. It was as if Ladybug had tossed her lucky charm and said the magic words 'Miraculous Ladybug'. But she hadn't. The people woke up. The knocked over cars were uprighted. The damage was undone. But there was no sign of the Trapper or the akuma.

Ladybug was beyond confused. What did it all mean? But then she realized her parents would be panicking if she didn't get back home! Paris looked to be fine. She would run back and reassure them that she was safe before coming back and trying to figure out what happened. "I guess I don't need Chat after all," she thought to herself, grinning.

#################################################################################

Adrien groaned as he looked up from his video game. He had won again. That made 629 wins and 3 losses. He was so incredibly bored. I mean, at first it was nice to sleep in. He could wallow in his dreams a little longer, hoping to escape the cruel reality that awaited him. But eventually he woke up.

He didn't say a single word to anyone. He dressed, ate breakfast, came back to his room, and the sat on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He had to put on another mask. He shook his head. Would he ever have to stop hiding himself?

Underneath this mask of gloom and indiferrence, he was Adrien Agreste, smart, cute, nice, and perfect. Underneath his Adrien Agreste mask, he was Chat Noir, sly, witty, danger prone, and happy. Underneath the Chat Noir mask he was himself. But he would never be able to be himself. He would never have anyone who loved him for simply him. The closest thing to himself was Chat Noir, and the one person who could have loved him as Chat Noir had broken his heart.

He was broken. So he stitched himself up as best he could and hid the damage underneath another mask. No one had to know. But now what was the point of living? Photo shoots, fencing, and Chinese?

Suddenly, his computer started blinking. He turned it on and found an update to the Ladyblog. His heart wrenched as he watched Ladybug single handedly defeat a new akuma victim called the Trapper. It looked like she had it under control. Maybe she was right. Maybe she didn't need him. Maybe she never had.

But still, maybe he would just make sure. Just take a quick look. He could get over there and back in five minutes. She would never know he was there. And just in case she did need him, and she was in danger, she could count on him sacrificing his life for hers. It was pointless withtout her anyway.

"Plagg, claws out!" he called. The little kwami shrieked in surprise as he was sucked into Adrien's ring. Adrien transformed and then jumped out the window. He crossed the rooftops at lightning speed, the wind wipping through his hair. But it didn't give him the same exuberant feeling. He wasn't going to see 'his lady'. Well, he was. But not the way he would have ever imagined it.

He stopped on a rooftop a short distance away and peered out from behind an air vent. The Trapper had Ladybug pinned beneath him. Chat Noir felt his blood boil as he reached for his baton.

Suddenly, the Trapper released Ladybug and stared in his direction. Then he disapeared in a cloud of smoke. Chat was confused. Where did he go? He clearly didn't have her miraculous, because she was still Ladybug.

"Hey there, kitty kitty. Here, kitty," he heard a harsh voice say. It was followed by a deep chuckle. Chat Noir spun around and pulled out his baton, but it was too late. He watched in slow motion as the Trapper pulled the trigger, the dart whistled towards him. He tried to leap out of the way but he was too late. It struck his arm, and the world tipped and blurred,

"Purr-fect," The Trapper laughed. Chat ground his teeth together. He officially hated cat puns now, and that wasn't even a good one. He stumbled backwards, unable to see clearly. He felt his knees buckle beneath him. "Ladybug, help," he thought desperately, But she wasn't coming. She would never come. He was all alone in this world. And everything went black.

A/N: Um...please don't kill me! I really don't know what else to say...

Oh wait, it's me, so of course I do! Please review if you liked it and feel free to offer advice about how you think the story should go! Surprisingly some of my best plot twists happen when one of ya'll gives me an awesome idea. See ya'll next chapter! Have a great day!


	3. Worries

Chapter Three: Worries

Marinette rushed home. She flung open the door to the bakery and dashed inside. To her surprise, she found Alya sitting at the table with her parents.

"Marinette!" her mother cried as she crossed the table and pulled her daughter close into a hug. "We were so worried about you!" Marinette returned the hug and then kissed her father's cheek quickly.

"I'm so sorry! I got knocked out or something by this crazy guy in a camo suit! It was sooo scary!" she said, being over dramatic about how scary it was. Alya had long ago stopped suspecting her to be Ladybug, but she could never be too sure, so she always liked to drop hints about how unlike Ladybug she was.

"Girl, did you see Ladybug out there? She was totally off her game! And Chat Noir never even showed! Where could he have been?" Alya asked, waving her phone in the air. Marinette growled.

"No, I told you, I got knocked out or something," she said. She didn't want to have to deal with this right now. "How did you get here anyway?"

"After the Trapper disappeared I stopped over at your house to see if you made it back. Can I not stop by and check on my BFF?" Alya asked, sounding confused and slightly hurt.

"Sorry Alya," Marinette apologized. "I've just been having a bad day, okay? Maybe now I can catch up on all that homework." She inwardly groaned at the thought.

"Yeah, okay. I'm being called to babysit my little sisters again," Alya groaned while looking at the text on her phone. "Good luck with that homework!" Alya hopped off of her seat and great fully accepted the croissant Tom handed to her. Being the best friend of a baker's daughter had its advantages. Namely, free goodies whenever she wanted.

After Alya left, Marinette grabbed a couple off cookies off of a plate on the counter. "Well, I better go start on that homework!" she told her parents. They nodded in approval as she headed up the stairs and into her room. She set the cookies on her desk and pulled a tired looking Tikki out of her purse and set her next to them. Then she threw her schoolbag at the wall and flopped down on her bed.

"What happened back there?" she groaned. "That Lucky Charm was like a cruel joke! And we never even needed it. The guy just completely disappeared and then everyone was fixed!"

"I don't know Marinette, but I'm sure it can't be good," Tikki mused.

"And when he was talking to Hawk Moth, it was weird. Almost like he was supposed to let me get away... Like this time, my miraculous wasn't what he was after."

"Then what was he after?" asked Tikki.

"How the heck am I supposed to know?" Marinette snapped. She instantly felt bad. "Sorry Tikki. I know it was a rhetorical question."

"That's okay Marinette, but you really should try and figure out what's bugging you. Everything is easier when you look at life positively!" Tikki said, smiling brightly. Marinette sighed and remained lying on her bed. Tikki zipped under Marinette's bed to her little hiding place. She had built herself a cozy little bed out of scraps from Marinette's fashion designs.

"Plagg? Plagg I need to talk to you!" she thought silently. Kwami's had a secret method of communication that they used only when absolutely necessary. They could only use it when their humans weren't transformed. She waited for several minutes, but got no response. That's strange. Maybe Chat Noir had come out to see if he could find Ladybug and make it up to her somehow? Or maybe the poor boy just needed to escape his house.

Tikki didn't know Chat's secret identity, but Plagg had told her plenty about him. Apparently he had a really overbearing and oppressive father. She wished she could give Chat some advice. No offense to Plagg, but he was really bad at it, and too prideful to admit how much he really cared about Chat.

Tikki sighed. She almost wanted to ask Ladybug to transform just in case Chat was going to come and apologize. But she needed time to cool off. Seeing as how Marinette had snapped at both her and Alya, she was nowhere near ready to face the person that her anger was directed at. And it wasn't even his fault, either. Tikki sighed. Why did this always have to be so complicated?

##################################################################################

Chat groaned. His entire body ached and he felt nauseous and dizzy. Where was he? What if his miraculous timed out soon? Would his secret identity be revealed? He pushed one elbow underneath him and lifted his head. It was hard to move. It felt like somebody turned his bones to jelly.

"So nice to finally meet you," a voice boomed. It echoed in his ringing ears. Chat glanced around wildly. It was pitch black, so dark that he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. He curled up in a ball defensively and hissed.

"Who are you?" he growled. "And where am I?" He paused, not really expecting an answer. There was nothing but silence.

"WHERE AM I?" he yelled again. There was still no answer. He shivered. It was really cold in here. And dark. Anything could be hiding in the darkness. Stalking him, ready to pounce. There was something in here. Something alive.

Something brushed his cheek and he jumped backwards, yelping in surprise. He heard a soft chuckle.

"You certainly are a scaredy cat. It's a wonder it took me so long to catch you. You're pathetic," the voice sneered. There was something familiar about the voice, but Chat Noir was too groggy and disoriented to notice.

He stood up shakily and spun around. There was nothing but blackness. It surrounded him on all sides, pressing against him. It was suffocating. His breath came in short gasps.

"Who are you?" he whispered again.

"That is not revelant. You don't need to know. I only need you for bait. You're too weak to pose a threat to me anyway."

"Bait," Chat thought. "Bait for what?" Then it hit him. Ladybug! "You can't," he snarled, bringing his clenched fists up into a defensive position. He heard another soft chuckle. It sent chills up and down his spine.

"Actually, you'll find that I can. I can do whatever I want, and whatever is best for me and my cause," the voice said softly. Chat Noir heard a rustle behind him. He spun around, lashing out. Something grabbed his wrist and twisted it, bringing him to his knees. "And you, Chat Noir. You will do everything I want."

"I can't escape that even as Chat Noir? Seriously! I'm tired of doing everything other people want!" he inwardly grumbled. "No," he said out loud, very matter-of-factly. The grip on his arm tightened painfully. He could feel the pressure on his wrist.

"You have no choice," the person chuckled. "Or else you die."

"Kill me then!" Chat Noir said, louder, more defiantly. "I don't care. I have no reason to live. Just leave Ladybug out of it!"

"FOOL!" the person roared. He jerked Chat's wrist violently. There was a loud snapping sound and Chat screamed in pain. "You have no idea what is truly going on here, do you?" He released Chat and dumped him on the ground.

Chat cradled his limp wrist in his other arm. White hot pain shot up and down his entire arm from his fingertips to his shoulder. He resisted the urge to cry from the pain. The chuckle came again. His frantic green eyes spun around. They were still met by blackness.

It was closing in. The darkness was everywhere. He curled up into a ball, hissing in pain when he had to lay his hurt arm on the floor. He was shaking from the cold. His breath came in short gasps.

"The darkness is such a scary place, isn't it?" the voice asked. "There's nothing worse than the fear of the unknown. There could be anything in here. Anything. With any motive, any reason to hurt you." He fully laughed for the first time. The noise made Chat instinctively whimper.

"It intrigues me just how cat-like you really are. Maybe I'll have to mess with that later. But for now, I think I'll leave you with the dark." Chat's eyes widened.

"No," he gasped. The man chuckled. There was a swish and then the sound of footsteps marching away from him. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

######################################################################################

Tikki shivered. Something felt wrong. She didn't know what it was, but there was a haunting whisper in the back of her mind. She rolled over. It was dark. Pitch black. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face.

"Marinette!" she squeaked. She zoomed out from underneath the bed.

"Yeah Tikki?" Marinette groaned as she rubbed her eyes. She switched on a lamp. Bright light filled the room, bouncing off of the pink walls and giving the whole place a cozy glow. Marinette pulled down her comforter a bit, letting Tikki slide down under them with her. The little kwami shivered.

"Something's wrong," she said after a second. Marinette patted her head.

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.

"That's the problem, I don't know," Tikki confessed. "But something is wrong. I can feel it. A shift in the balance of magic. Plagg is trying to communicate with me, but he can't."

"Who's Plagg? And why is he trying to communicate with you? And why can't he?" Marinette asked impatiently, staring at her alarm clock. 3:47am on a school night. This had better be important.

"Plagg is Chat Noir's kwami," Tikki explained. "Kwami's have a secret way of communication, but we can only use it when our partners are not transformed. Plagg is trying to reach me, but he can't because Chat must be transformed right now."

Marinette's blood boiled at the mention of Chat, but she ignored her anger for Tikki's sake. The poor little kwami looked so upset. "Why would he be trying to reach you so badly?"

"I don't know," Tikki responded in a whisper. "It could be because Chat is hurt, it could be because Chat is doing something dangerous. It could be because Chat needs Ladybug to finish off an akuma really badly. It could be…" she gulped, "Because Plagg lost control of Chat."

"Lost control of Chat? What the heck does that mean?" Marinette said while yawning. "Look Tikki, I know you're worried, but it is really late. I'm sure that if something's wrong with Chat we can deal with it tomorrow. He'll be easier to find in the daytime, especially with citizens around to see him and post pictures on the Ladyblog."

She switched the lamp off and rolled over, putting her pillow over her head. Tikki sighed worriedly as she zoomed back underneath the bed and cuddled up in her little blanket. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn't place it. Besides, Marinette was right. Whatever was wrong could be dealt with tomorrow, and Tikki needed to be well rested in order for Marinette to stay transformed as Ladybug for as long as possible if need be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please review if you liked it! I'll give you a strange analogy. I am like Ladybug. I transform into a super author and then write an entire chapter of this fanfiction. I have to use my Lucky Charm to proof read it and make it amazing. But then I run out of power and I have to de-transform back into boring old me. And then my author kwami needs food! Unlike Tikki and Plagg, who like cookies and cheese, my author kwami needs coments to recharge itself! So if you want another chapter, ASAP, please feed the author kwami!
> 
> So yeah, that was an incredibly long way to say "Comment if you liked it!" Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing, have a great day!


	4. Lost and Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This'll get a little bit bloody at the end. My fics are rated T generally for the violence, although it's not ridiculously graphic or anything. Just wanted to give ya'll a heads up.

Chapter 4: Lost and Found

Ladybug tossed her yoyo in the air as she flew from structure to structure. She flipped over the edge of a balcony, landing on her feet and sliding to a stop. She gracefully leapt off of the roof and landed on the ground. She ignored the excited citizens that immediately pulled out their cameras.

"Let's see, this is where he had me pinned," she mumbled to herself, kneeling by the place where the Trapper had pinned her down less than 24 hours ago. "Nothing unusual. There was no reason for him not to take my miraculous."

She stood and looked left, her eyes landing on the rooftop that the Trapper had glanced at before he disappeared. There was nothing particularly eye catching about the cream colored building with a burgundy roof. The rooftop had an air vent, two chimneys, and a satellite dish on top of it.

She used her yoyo to swing up onto the building. She glanced around. Nothing caught her eye at first, no obvious signs that there had been a person up here or a fight or something. She was about to leave when she noticed some strange looking dents in the air vent. She bent down and took a closer look.

There were five strange looking marks, four closer together and one further down. Ladybug hesitated and then stretched her hand out, placing it in a position on the air vent so that the marks were slightly above her fingertips. It matched up perfectly.

"Strange," she thought. "Maybe it was the animal that the Trapper was after? But these marks…they were clearly made by something with five fingers. Maybe a gorilla?" She immediately dismissed the thought because gorillas don't have claws or anything.

Suddenly, her phone beeped. She put her yoyo on her hip and pulled her phone out of her secret in-suit pocket.

Alya: Marinette. MARINETTE WAKE UP because I know you are asleep, girl. And you don't want to be late again!

Marinette: I'm awake, I'm awake. I'll be there on time, I swear.

She texted Alya back and then put her phone away. She headed for home. She'd have to study that rooftop more later on. But for now, she just had to make sure she got to school on time. She jumped onto her balcony and de-transformed. Then she grabbed her schoolbag and her purse and headed downstairs.

She ate breakfast, accepted the brown paper lunch sack from her mother, gave her a kiss, and then climbed into her father's car. The two made small talk as he drove her to school, mostly about having a video game marathon sometime soon. She waved goodbye as she climbed out of the car.

She glanced around, looking for the familiar shiny limo that brought Adrien to school. It was nowhere to be found. Strange, Adrien was normally here by now. She only had three minutes to get to class as it was. She shrugged. Maybe the Gorilla had left instead of staying parked outside the school all day as usual.

Marinette slipped into the classroom and took her seat. Her smile vanished as she noticed the absence of her blonde haired crush. Where could Adrien be? Maybe he was sick or something. Yeah, that was probably it. He didn't look all that well on Monday. She pulled out her schoolbooks, ready to focus in her class.

#######################################################################################################

"Adrien?" Natalie, Adrien's caretaker, called through the bedroom door. "Adrien, you need to get up now. You'll be late! And you know how your father feels about tardiness." She waited for the normal cheery response and the sound of panicked bustling. But she heard nothing.

She sighed, putting her hand on the door handle. She hated to invade his privacy, something she rarely did and never did without his permission, but if he was sick or simply in too deep of a sleep to hear her, she needed to wake him up. The door was locked. She pulled a silver key out of her pocket, slid it into the lock, and twisted it.

She pushed open the door cautiously. "Adrien?" she called again. She stepped inside and surveyed the room. The bed was made tidily and looked like it hadn't even been slept in last night. There was no sign of Adrien in his room, and his bathroom door was wide open, with the light off. So he wasn't anywhere in here.

She panicked slightly. Mr. Agreste would kill her if she had lost track of Adrien. His son's safety meant everything to him. She hurried out the way she had come. She hurried to the dining room. No Adrien. She headed out the front door. The Gorilla was sitting in his car, waiting to drive Adrien to school.

"No no no!" she muttered as she dashed back to her office. She picked up the phone and typed in the number of Francois-Dupaint Middle School. "Yes, this is Natalie, Mr. Agreste's personal assistant. I'm calling about his son, Adrien Agreste. Could you please check and see if he is in school?"

"Of course, ma'am," the principal said. He reached for his speaker. "Would Mr. Adrien Agreste please report to the principal's office? Mr. Adrien Agreste, please report to the principal's office!" he said through the speaker.

He and Natalie waited for several minutes, but Adrien didn't come.

"Well, can you check with his teacher and see if he is in class?" Natalie begged, now frantic. "Ask his classmates, anything! I just need to know where he is!" The principal, well aware of how rich and powerful Gabriel Agreste was, sighed and gave in reluctantly. He hated to interrupt his teachers' curriculum like this.

"Could the teacher who is currently supposed to be teaching Adrien Agreste report to my office?" He called through the microphone.

##############################################################################################################

"Would Mr. Adrien Agreste please report to the principal's office? Mr. Adrien Agreste, please report to the principal's office!" the principal's voice came over the speakers. The entire classroom looked at Adrien's empty seat in confusion.

"Is Mr. Agreste absent? Strange, his father normally sends in a notice if he has a photo shoot," Mrs. Bustier commented. "Anyway, if you multiply the co-efficient by the-"

But Marinette wasn't paying attention. Why would the principal be calling Adrien to his office anyway? Especially if he wasn't supposed to be in school? Unless he was supposed to be in school and something is wrong…

Suddenly, the loudspeaker came on again. The principal, sounding slightly flustered and annoyed, said, "Could the teacher who is currently supposed to be teaching Adrien Agreste report to my office?" Mrs. Bustier set her chalk down next to the chalkboard. She glanced at her class.

"It's no use telling you not to talk once I leave, so please just keep the noise to a minimum and don't hurt each other," she sighed as she walked to the door. She exited and headed down to the principal's office. The second she was gone, the whole class immediately started talking among themselves.

"Where do you think Adrien could be?" Alya asked. She glanced at her phone, like that would magically tell her where her classmate was.

"I don't know, I just hope he's okay!" Marinette exclaimed nervously. "What if something happened to him? What if he got in a car wreck and he gets amnesia and wanders off and when he comes back and he doesn't remember me and we never get married and have kids and then-"

"Calm down girl, before you hyperventilate!" Alya said, chuckling slightly.

"This is NOT a laughing matter!" Marinette insisted. She frowned and tapped her pencil against her cheek. Suddenly, the door opened and Mrs. Bustier walked inside.

"Class, this is extremely important. I need each of you to tell me when you saw or heard from Adrien Agreste last," Mrs. Bustier said, sounding upset.

"I'm his best friend, and the last time I saw him was Monday afternoon when he left class because you sent him home when he was yawning," Nino volunteered. The other students nodded in agreement.

"So none of you have seen or heard from him at all since then? Not even a text?" Mrs. Bustier asked. The class nodded. Marinette's heart tightened painfully. She just thought of something. That night, when she had her huge fight with Chat Noir, what were her exact words?"

"I happen to have someone I like in real life. His name is Adrien, and he's twice the guy you could ever be!"

What if Chat had guessed who she was talking about? There must be plenty of guys named Adrien in Paris, but it made sense that she would be in love with the one whose handsome face was plastered all over Paris. She may not love him only because of looks, but she knew that plenty of girls did. What if Chat had done something to Adrien out of spite?

She put her head in her hands. Chat was annoying and prideful, but would he really do something like that? She was shaking now. She couldn't tell if it was out of fear for what he could do to Adrien, or anger.

"Marinette?" Alya said, snapping Marinette out of her thoughts. She looked up. "The bell rang," Alya said, pointing at the clock. Class was over. Marinette stuffed her books and pencils into her bag and stood up, heading out of the classroom. "Marinette, are you okay?" Alya asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. I have to go home and, uh, help my parents over the lunch break," Marinette lied. She dashed out of the school and around the corner, leaving Alya standing inside the school. She rushed home and ran up to her room as fast as she could. As soon as she got into her room, she shut the door, collapsed on her bed, and let Tikki out of her purse.

"What's wrong, Marinette? I'm sure Adrien is okay," Tikki comforted. Marinette sighed.

"I said Adrien's name to Chat Noir," she groaned. "He looked so mad too! He got that look in his eye that he always gets right before he does something stupid and dangerous!"

"He looked surprised and troubled, that's all. Marinette, I can't believe how stubborn you can be sometimes! I don't want to hurt you, but this is getting old! I'm sure Adrien is fine! And I'm sure Chat Noir has nothing to do with Adrien at all!"

"I hope you're right," Marinette mumbled. "I really, really hope you're right."

#####################################################################################################################

Chat Noir got no sleep the previous night. His racing mind and his fear of the dark had left him terrified. This was so dumb! It had occurred to him halfway through the night that he had night vision! He should have been able to see whoever was talking to him just fine! The fact that this dark room had some sort of magical dark quality to it scared him even more.

He tried to think of Ladybug. Would she be scared of the dark? Scared of the dark, it sounded so stupid! A mere child phobia! Although Chat knew it wasn't the dark he was afraid of, it was whatever could be lurking within its cover.

Dark thoughts came to his mind. Unpleasant imaginings that terrified him. The worst case scenarios played through his mind. He tried to block it all out, but the fear of the unknown crept into even the darkest and safest parts of his brain. Occasionally he would convince himself that there was nothing to be afraid of, only to have something brush past him or hear a soft fluttering sound that re-awoke his nightmares.

So here he was, lying on the floor, curled up and shaking from both fear and cold. He had no idea what time it was or how long he had been here. His whole right arm throbbed from pain, and his wrist was swollen. He was hungry and tired, and still groggy from whatever the Trapper had used to knock him out.

He heard footsteps and shrunk back. They came closer. His ears flickered, but he was so disoriented, he didn't know which direction they were coming from.

"I hope you slept well," the mysterious man said mockingly, as if he knew that Chat had not even gotten five minutes of sleep.

"Paw-retty well, thanks," Chat replied cheekily. If there was one thing he would never lose, it was his sense of humor. The man chuckled softly.

"You are in no position to make jokes, Chat Noir. I shall be brief. I needn't waste my time with you." Chat was confused, but suddenly something grabbed his hurt wrist. He yelped in pain. He didn't dare resist the pressure. Whoever was holding him placed his knee into Chat's back, pressing him against the ground and leaving him utterly defenseless.

Suddenly and with no warning, he felt something sharp slice all down his left leg, from his knee to his ankle. He screamed in pain and agony as the blade was dragged across his flesh, cutting through his black suit. His screams grew louder as someone placed something against the flowing blood and pressed down hard.

He was in so much pain he instinctively writhed around, which jerked his wrist even more, sending electric shocks up and down his arm. Oh god, his leg hurt so badly. It felt like it was on fire. He stayed in this position, writhing around in pain and groaning, trapped under the weight of the person on top of him as the other person continued to press something against his leg.

Finally, they peeled it back, and he screamed again as it ripped at the wound. The person on top of him lifted Chat's wrist up and then placed it into a bucket of some kind of liquid. After his gloved hand was soaked with the liquid, they pulled it out and immediately pressed it against a thick piece of paper on the ground.

Suddenly, the person released Chat's wrist and clambered off of him. Two sets of footsteps grew more and more faded as they left him alone, with tears of pain running down his face, groaning and panting.

Chat Noir brought his hurt wrist up to his face, smelling whatever they had dipped his hand into. He blanched and fought the urge to throw up. It was blood. Undoubtedly his own blood. They had taken his own blood and used it to make his signature paw print on a piece of paper, no doubt a ransom note for Ladybug.

"No!" he thought desperately. He could feel Plagg trying to calm him down in the back of his mind. "No, don't come Ladybug. Hate me forever! Feel the anger from our argument! Ignore the note, you hate me! That's okay! Just don't come for me! I love you!"

He felt weak and exhausted, and he welcomed the possibility of passing out from blood loss. It was an escape from the pain. And escape from the darkness. An escape from the man whose chuckle sent shivers up and down his spine. An escape from the painful thoughts about Ladybug. He didn't care how long he had to suffer. As long as she stayed safe, nothing else mattered.


	5. The News and the Note

 

****Chapter 5: The News and The Note** **

Gabriel Agreste smiled in delight as he finished writing the important note. This was amazing! There was no way that this offer could be refused! His plans for victory were finally coming together! And after all this time, too.

"Mr. Agreste?" the voice of Natalie came from the other side of his office door. She sounded slightly tentative. He cursed quietly and shoved the note into his desk drawer. Then he straightened up and picked up the latest of his fashion magazines and pretended to be studying it intently.

"Yes Natalie?" he said. "Don't just stand there, come in!" Natalie scurried into the office, looking upset and slightly fearful. He set down his magazine and cleared his throat. "Well, what is it? Has Adrien done something else rash? That boy..."

"Um, that's the problem sir," Natalie squeaked. "I don't exactly know where he is."

"You WHAT?" Mr. Agreste roared, standing up furiously. "You lost track of MY SON? Have you called that abomination of a school he was so desperate to attend?"

"Yes. His teacher hasn't seen him since he was sent home Monday, and none of his classmates have seen him or heard from him either." Natalie shuffled her feet. "I left him alone most of yesterday because he needed to sleep, and when I went to wake him up for school today, he wasn't there."

Gabriel swore loudly, making his assistant cringe. Why must this happen to him on the luckiest day of his life? Where could his son possibly be? He only wanted the best for his precious boy. Adrien was all that Gabriel had left of his wife. If he lost Adrien as well...

"FIND HIM!" he shouted! "CALL THE POLICE! ALERT THE MAYOR! I WANT EVERYONE IN THIS CITY ON HIGH ALERT!" He swiped his hand across his desktop in a blind rage, knocking everything off violently. An expensive vase shattered on the floor.

"Yes sir! I shall call the police this very instant!" Natalie assured him. She rushed out of the room and down to her office. At least she hadn't lost her job! Sure, she did care very much about the boy's well being, but she also really needed the money this job gave her.

Natalie grabbed her phone off of her desk and immediately dialed 911. "Yes, this is Natalie, Mr. Agreste's personal assistant. Adrien Agreste is missing! I want the entire police force on high alert immediately!"

After Natalie left, Mr. Agreste straightened. In the midst of this chaos would be the perfect time to plant the note. He looked down at his watch, secretly also a communication device. "It's time. You know what to do!" he whispered. Then he went out front to meet the head of police and make sure that the best measures possible were taken to find his beloved son.

############################################################################################################################################################

Marinette groaned and reached for her cell phone as it rang. Pressing the send button, she held the phone up to her ear. "Hey Alya."

"MARINETTE! HAVE YOU HEARD?" Alya practically screeched into her ear. She winced and held the phone a couple inches away from it.

"Hear what? Did Ladybug make an appearance?" she asked, knowing full well that she hadn't.

"No, its not that! Ugh, I hate to be the bearer of the bad news, but turn on your TV!" Alya insisted. Marinette groaned and walked down to the TV. Plopping herself down on the couch, she grabbed the remote and turned it on.

"The authorities are baffled as to the reason of the disappearance," the news lady was saying. "Could they be holding young Agreste for ransom? According to Mr. Agreste's personal assistant, Natalie, the household has received no notes demanding money or anything else. What else could be the reason of this famous model's disappearance?"

Marinette felt her heart tighten in her chest as a picture of Adrien flashed across the screen. She gasped. She knew that picture well, because it was on her wall. It was one of her favorites.

"Meanwhile, if anyone sees or hears anything about this, please call this special toll free hot line! We have assistants standing by to receive your calls. The family and friends of this young boy are desperate."

The live video shot to a picture right outside of the Agreste mansion. Mr. Agreste was angrily waving off reporters. Marinette scowled to see Chloe Bourgeois sobbing dramatically in her father's arms.

"Marinette? Marinette!" Alya called through the phone.

"This is horrible! I told you something terrible must have happened!" Marinette said crossly, visibly freaking out. "What if he's hurt! Oh my poor Adrien!"

"I hope they find something soon!" Alya said. "Anyway, I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will show up soon! I mean, they don't only battle akuma, right? Gotta go!" she said. She hung up the phone.

" _Will they show up?_ " she asked herself. " _More accurately, will I show up?_ _There is no Ladybug and Chat Noir anymore."_ Her mind flew back to her earlier conversation with Tikki. Ladybug and Chat Noir. Ladybug and Chat Noir. ****Chat Noir****!

Her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped in surprise. She bolted upstairs. Once safely out of her parents' hearing range, Tikki jumped out of her hiding place.

"I hope Adrien is okay!" she squeaked.

"Tikki," Marinette said. "Remember when we were talking about Chat a couple of hours ago, and you said that he had nothing to do with Adrien's absence at school? I think you might be wrong."

"Do you really think Chat Noir would kidnap Adrien out of jealousy?" Tikki asked. Marinette paced back and forth, yanking at her hair in frustration.

"I don't know what to think!" she yelled. "I mean, I'm still so mad at him! That fight wasn't something that could be gotten over easily! If I deal with anger by getting in a bad mood and lashing out at everyone. I have NO IDEA how he deals with it!"

"You weren't even the one who had your heart crushed," Tikki muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Marinette let it go, sinking down onto her bed. She held Tikki in her hands. "What if he got so mad he kidnapped Adrien? Or what if he was akumatised? Can superheroes even get akumatised?"

"I don't know. Its never happened before," Tikki confessed. Marinette stood. "What are you doing?"

"I need to go back and check on that rooftop some more! Something happened up there that I feel is somehow connected to this! And then I'll swing by the Agreste mansion and let them know I'll be keeping an eye out for Adrien," she explained. "Tikki, spots on!"

She transformed and leapt across the rooftops, running over tiles and jumping over obstacles. She made her way back to the rooftop under investigation in record time, under five minutes. She put her yoyo away on her hip.

There, sitting on the strangely dented air vent, was a white envelope with ' _Ladybug_ ' scrawled across it in elegant, careful handwriting. There was no way this had been here when she had come before school this morning.

She glanced back and forth nervously. This could be simply a ransom note, or it could be a trap. She thought about her options. Eventually, she snapped a small piece of a broken roof gable off of the side of the rooftop. She used it to nudge the envelope from where it sat. It fell over the side of the roof and fluttered to the ground.

Ladybug jumped down to the ground and picked it up before the wind could steal it. She looked back and forth before stuffing it into her pocket. Then she retreated hastily from the scene.

Flying across the rooftops, she reached the Agreste mansion. Mrs. Agreste had gone back inside, much to the annoyance of the dozens of reporters swarming around the front gates. The Gorilla stood in front of the house, keeping a wary eye on them. Ladybug hopped down and landed in front of him.

"Ladybug!"

"Ladybug, was this the work of the akuma?"

"Ladybug, what is your opinion on this strange disappearance?"

"Ladybug, where was Chat Noir during that last battle?"

"Ladybug!"

"LADYBUG!"

The reporters swarmed around her. She pushed her way through until she found who she was looking for. Alya could be an excessive fangirl sometimes, but she knew her bestie would be very straightforward. Besides, everyone in Paris knew about the Ladyblog and trusted it more than the news cast for the latest Ladybug updates.

"Hello Ladyblog followers!" Ladybug said straight into Alya's phone camera. The girl looked like she was about to faint. "I would like you to know that I am aware of the situation here, and although I do not know what's going on right now, I have been following several leads and I will do everything in my power to return Adri-uh, this boy, back to his family safe and sound."

Then she tossed her yoyo into the air and disappeared. Alya squealed excitedly. "Did you see that, Ladyblog viewers? LADYBUG herself just came up to me! Stay tuned for updates on this situation!" she then ended the live stream and switched her phone to record instead. She would filter through the video later and find any important parts.

"Wait till Marinette sees this!" she thought. She dashed back down the street away from the crowd.

############################################################################################################################################################

Marinette sat in her desk chair, staring at the envelope. She sighed as she reached forward with trembling fingers, hesitating as they brushed against the flap.

"Marinette, you do realize you have to open that eventually," Tikki said, popping up out of nowhere, suddenly recharged.

"I know, I know. I'm just so scared! What could this mean?" she wondered out loud.

"I don't know Marinette, why don't you open the envelope and we can find out?" Tikki suggested, bumping Marinette's hand against the envelope.

"Fine," Marinette sighed. She narrowed her eyes in determination and slowly opened the flap of the envelope. She reached inside with a shaking hand and pulled out a piece of paper. She unfolded it slowly. Staring at the top half, she read the words written in the same delicate hand that had written her name on the front.

" _If you want to see him alive again, come to the abandoned apartment complex over near the South side of the Louvre. Come alone. Bring any police or help of any kind whatsoever and he will meet a rather un-fur-tunate end._ "

Her eyes widened as she read the letter. She gasped as she read the cat pun. No...

Almost afraid to do it, she closed her eyes halfway as she reached out and unfolded the piece of paper all the way. She immediately squealed and dropped the piece of paper. It slowly drifted to the ground and lay on her carpet.

There, in the center of the paper, was Chat Noir's signature paw print. In red. Marinette started to shake.

" _Please tell me that's red ink! Please tell me that's red ink!_ " she repeated over and over in her mind. She had a clumsy moment and fell out of her desk chair. Scrambling to her knees, she crawled over to the piece of paper. Tikki followed her, mouth open in shock.

Marinette slowly and carefully picked the piece of paper up and held it up to the light. She nearly blanched. That did NOT look like red ink. She sniffed it. It didn't smell like ink either. Hesitantly, she ran her hand over it. She knew what it was.

Blood. It was blood. She didn't know whose blood it was, but did it matter? Somebody had been put through a lot of pain and had lost a lot of blood in order to make this possible. And she had a very good idea who.

"Tikki, Chat Noir. This... this has to be him," Marinette whispered, feeling sick. "No one else could replicate that signature down to sheer perfection. I'm the only one who's ever seen it."

She scrambled to her feet and dropped the piece of paper on her desk. Then she opened the bottom drawer of her desk and dug deep down until she found what she was looking for. She pulled the green piece of paper out and stared at it.

Once, they had been fighting an akuma that could ruin electronics. Chat's baton and her yoyo couldn't communicate. At one point, Chat had to leave the fight to re-energize and didn't know how to let Ladybug know (because they had split up earlier in an attempt to stop the akuma) so he had left her a note.

Marinette stared at the black paw print and then compared it to the red one. Identical. Exactly the same in every single way. Every single curve of the glove and every single stitch in the leather was a perfect match.

"He hurt Adrien," Marinette whispered, letting the note flutter down to the desk and join its companion. "Chat Noir is angry with me and he HURT ADRIEN!"

"Marinette, you shouldn't immediately jump to conclusions!" Tikki advised, flying closer to examine the paw prints.

"Tikki, they're identical. What am I supposed to think? That Chat Noir cut _himself_ to do that? Don't be ridiculous Tikki! I know you don't want it to be true, but we have all of the facts! All of the evidence! Chat Noir has Adrien and I'm going to save him, even if I have to get Chat out of the way to do it!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, that was actually a tough chapter to write. And don't worry, I promise we'll be having some more action soon! Please review if you liked it! My author kwami and I can't wait!


	6. Trouble With Alya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yeah, some of you might find this chapter a little boring, because I'm really trying to set everything up for the action here. The next chapter will have slightly more action and with mostly be in the POV's of Hawkmoth and Chat Noir. Yay!

 

**Trouble With Alya**

The night was long and unforgiving. Marinette was restless, unable to sleep. So many thoughts pounded in her brain, swirling around and around. She wasn't sure what to do. When the first rays of sun shone through her window, she was positive that she had gotten maybe two hours of sleep at most.

"Marinette! Marinette!" she heard Alya's excited voice call as footsteps approached her bedroom. The trap door slid open and Alya's head popped up. "Your parents sent me to wake you up. And you won't BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!"

Marinette groaned and pulled herself off of her bed. "What happened?" she asked while rubbing her eyes. Alya eyes her friend suspiciously.

"Mari, are you okay? Did you sleep in your clothes? You look really tired." Alya planted her hands on her hips firmly. Marinette resisted the urge to groan. Alya could be such a mother hen sometimes.

"I'm fine Alya. I stayed up late working on a project again," she lied, knowing that it was perfectly believable. "Anyway, what was so exciting you just HAD to rush over here and wake me up to tell me?"

"Omigosh, so I was at the Agreste mansion, and I was hoping that Ladybug would show up like I told you, so then she did, but she pushed away all of the news people," Alya waved her hands around happily to accent her story, "And then she came right up to ME! And she spoke to the Ladyblog viewers right through MY PHONE!" And then Alya squealed really loudly.

"Wow Alya, that's awesome!" Marinette congratulated her friend, while clapping her hands over her ears. "She really came right up to you?"

"YEEEEESSS! IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT OF MY-" suddenly Alya stopped abruptly and squinted her eyes. Marinette followed her gaze to the desk and gulped. She had left the notes from Chat on the desk last night.

"Uh, so Alya, what was it like seeing your hero so close? I bet it was super exciting!" Marinette babbled as she threw herself at the desk, swiping the notes smoothly off of it and hiding them behind her back.

"What are those?" Alya asked.

"Oh, just some designs I've been working on," Marinette chuckled nervously. Alya wasn't buying it.

"Can I see them?" she asked eagerly. Marinette panicked.

"Um, no. Because I-uh, want them to be….a surprise?" she finished weakly.

"Come on girl, let me see!" Alya insisted. She reached for the pieces of paper.

"No!" Marinette squealed as she jumped backwards. Unfortunately, she tripped over her math book. She let out a shriek as she fell backwards, flailing her arms wildly. The notes went flying into the air. She landed on the ground hard.

"What the heck?" Alya asked, shocked as she snatched up the ransom note. Her eyes narrowed as she read it and then examined the red paw print. "Where did you get this? Is this a ransom note for Adrien? From Chat Noir? WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK MARINETTE?"

"I can explain!" Marinette said, scrambling to her feet and stuffing the other note in her pocket. If Alya found the friendly note from Chat, she would find out that Marinette was Ladybug for sure.

"YOU HAD BETTER!" Alya fumed. "THIS IS BEYOND THE POINT OF CREEPY STALKING! ADRIEN WAS KIDNAPPED AND THIS IS A FREAKING RANSOM NOTE FROM CHAT NOIR!"

"I didn't mean to find it!" she said quickly. "I was walking and then I spotted it on the ground…and it had Ladybug's name on it so I picked it up because I figured that maybe you could use your Ladyblog to find Ladybug and give it to her!" Marinette blurted out wildly, praying desperately that Alya would buy it.

"Then why didn't you want to show it to me when I first came over?" Alya asked, her eyes still narrowed with an 'I will not stop until I find out what's going on' look on her face.

"I, uh, I don't…" Marinette trailed off. Alya looked like she was about to say something, but then she changed her mind.

"We need to take this to the police!" Alya said. Marinette was shocked. That was the last thing she was expecting Alya to say. She thought that her friend would be determined to give it to Ladybug personally.

"What?"

"We need to take this to the police! This is HUGE Marinette! Whatever happened, it has to do with Chat Noir. This is clearly the reason that Chat wasn't with Ladybug in that last akuma battle! Omigosh, WAIT TILL MY FANS HEAR THIS! But why would Chat kidnap Adrien? It makes absolutely NO SENSE!"

"I don't know, why are you asking me? How could I possibly know?" Marinette babbled nervously. "I still don't see why we are going to the police instead of Ladybug."

"Because, if we go to Ladybug she'll take the note and then disappear, and then I'll have NO scoop and the citizens of Paris will have NO idea what's going on!" Alya said.

" _That's true_ ," Marinette thought. " _Dangit Alya, why do you have to be so determined? That's what_ _needs_ _to happen!_ "

"So my idea is that we go to the police station and get them to analyze this! Besides, I really don't know how to say this, but," Alya gulped nervously, "I don't think this is red ink, Marinette."

"I didn't either," Marinette muttered. She glanced at the clock. "Alya, school starts in ten minutes! I have to get ready!" she shrieked.

"I'll go downstairs and let you get ready, hurry!" Alya said and then she went downstairs, leaving a panicked and flustered Marinette behind.

"Tikki what am I gonna do?" she freaked out as she grabbed her school books and unfinished homework and stuffed them into her bag. Tikki flew out from under the bed.

"I don't know Marinette! At least Alya doesn't know who you are!" she said, trying to reassure the girl.

"Okay, plan. I need a plan," Marinette muttered. "I know, sometime today in school, I'll have to steal the note from Alya! Then she'll think she lost it so we can't take it to the police and then Ladybug shows up and Alya can tell her what was on it!"

"Do you really think that will work?" Tikki asked.

"It's got to," Marinette sighed.

############################################################################################################################################################

Marinette and Alya managed to get into class just before the bell rang (courtesy of Tom, who gave them a ride). They both resisted the urge to whisper, mostly because Alya was lost in the world of theories and plans and was furiously scribbling down her thoughts, and Marinette was terrified that if she said any more on the topic her secret identity would be revealed to the person who was second most obsessed with figuring out what it was (Hawkmoth was the first).

Plus, Marinette kept a constant watch on Alya, hoping to find a moment when her friend was really distracted so that she could slip the note out of her bag. But Alya kept a hawk eye view on her bag. She even took out the note sometimes stealthily and re-read it, just to see if some new idea would come to her.

Marinette sat through three agonizing class periods of this. When they broke for lunch, Alya babbled about her theories the entire time, and kept her bag clutched tightly to her side. Marinette mostly nodded and said, 'Oh', 'Yeah', and 'Mm hm' in the right places. Alya didn't notice, she was so caught up in her investigation.

"And then Adrien kissed you and you two got married and lived happily ever after!" Marinette was suddenly aware of what Alya was saying. She looked up.

"What?" she asked, sounding confused.

"Sorry, I said that just to get your attention. You totally zoned out on me!" Alya explained, far too cheerfully. "Oh look, there's Nino! He looks really upset. Over here Nino!"

Marinette watched the dejected looking DJ walk over to them and smile slightly. "Hi Marinette, hi Alya. I guess you guys heard," he sighed.

"Yeah, we did. But don't worry! Marinette and I are gonna get him back! You won't believe what Marinette-"

"DESIGNED LAST NIGHT!" Marinette cut Alya off. Alya turned and mouthed, " _We can tell him._ " Marinette shook her head and turned back to Nino.

"That's cool, I guess," Nino shrugged. "But someone's got my best bud, and when I find out who they're gonna be in a world of pain!"

"Um, could we maybe avoid negative emotions as much as possible?" Marinette asked nicely. If there was one thing she couldn't deal with right now, it was an akuma attack.

"Ha, tell that to Chloe. She's been fake crying all morning and now she's marching around making everyone else miserable," Nino informed them, before putting his headphones on and delving into the world of rock'n'roll. Marinette ground her teeth together. That girl...

The school bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. And Marinette STILL hadn't retrieved the note from Alya. The girls and Nino went to their class. Marinette started to consider her options. She had memorized what the note said, partly because it seemed permanently etched in her mind and partly because Alya kept pulling it out and waving it in her face.

" _If you want to see him alive again, come to the abandoned apartment complex over near the South side of the Louvre at 6:00 tonight. Come alone. Bring any police or help of any kind whatsoever and he will meet a rather un-fur-tunate end._ "

############################################################################################################################################################

After school was over, Marinette and Alya said goodbye to Nino, slid past the still sobbing Chloe, and dashed out of the school building. Marinette had failed to snatch the note from Alya. There was no way that she could just take it from her friend and run. That would be too obvious, Alya would follow her, and she had already copied down what the note said. So it looked like she had no choice but to go to the police department.

Besides, Marinette starting thinking that maybe it would be a good idea to check and see if the blood on the note did indeed belong to Adrien Agreste, Or if it was blood at all. Two amateur teens could never be certain. Then she would figure out her next move.

Marinette gulped as she walked into the police department. Alya strode confidently inside, whipping out her phone as she walked. Marinette was relived to see that she put it on 'record' instead of blogging live. That meant that Marinette could convince her to cut parts out of the video when she edited it if necessary.

"Yes, excuse me," Alya said to the male receptionist, who was in uniform and drinking coffee. "My name is Alya and this is my best friend, Marinette."

"Do you have an emergency?" the officer asked, giving them a look that clearly showed that he was bothered by annoying teens all the time.

"No, we actually have something that might really help with the investigation on the kidnapping of Adrien Agreste," Alya stated, undeterred. The officer perked up slightly. Alya reached into her bag and pulled out the note. Marinette clenched her teeth as she slid it across the desk. "Tell him what happened, Marinette."

"Well, um, I was walking home from school and I saw this envelope on the ground. So I kinda, picked it up. Um, it had Ladybug's name on it and so I opened it because I'm a huge fan, and then I read this and I figured I should give it to you," she finished, wincing at how vague and dumb that sounded.

The officer read the note and then he glanced at the paw print and immediately looked startled. "Is that...blood?" he muttered to himself.

"That's what we thought," Alya confirmed. "We wanted to know if it was possible to do a blood test and see if it's Adrien's blood." The officer looked up at Alya.

"Oh wait a second, you're that girl that runs the Ladyblog," he said. Alya nodded. "Okay, well would you mind helping me out? The police force doesn't really have a way to contact Ladybug, so would you mind posting something on her blog asking her to come see us?"

"No problem!" Alya said cheerfully. "Adrien is our classmate and we want him to come back safely!"

"Yeah," Marinette added lamely.

"Here, give me your numbers and I'll let you know if we get an update that I can share with you," the policeman offered. Alya eagerly scribbled down her cell phone number.

"Thanks so much! We'll be back!" she called over her shoulder as she and Marinette walked to the door.

Suddenly, Alya's phone went off. She pulled it out of her pocket, glanced at the screen, and cursed. "What a time for my mother to ask me to babysit!" she exclaimed angrily. "I'll call you as soon as the police dude tells me anything." She headed off for the nearest Metro.

Marinette collapsed onto a bench as soon as her friend disappeared around the corner and put her hands in her face. "What do I do, Tikki?" she moaned. "I can't be Ladybug and Marinette at the same time! And I just gave away our only clue! Well, Alya did."

"I don't know Marinette, I really don't," Tikki said from the purse. There were no people on the street, but she stayed low in case someone came around the corner. "This entire thing is a confusing mess. I still think that Chat has nothing to do with this, even though the evidence is a little...overwhelming."

"I don't know what to think!" Marinette cried. "I don't know who to be anymore! I'm acting like Ladybug, I'm acting like Marinette, but with my temper and my shyness and my suspicious side and ARGH I JUST CAN'T THINK RIGHT!" she finished.

"We'll figure this out Marinette. The real question right now is, is Ladybug going to that warehouse on the South side of the Louvre at 6:00 tonight?"

"I don't know Tikki. I just don't know," Marinette said softly. She stood up and headed for home.

 


	7. Self Hate and Late Meetings Part 1

**Chapter 7: Self Hate and Late Meetings Part 1**

When Marinette came home, she greeted her parents, grabbed some food, and headed upstairs. After flinging her book bag against the wall, where it made a satisfying _whump_ , she collapsed onto her bed and finally let the tears flow.

She wasn't cut out for this. She shouldn't have fooled herself into thinking that she could have ever been a superhero. And she was all alone. She couldn't talk to her parents. They couldn't find out she was Ladybug. It hurt that she couldn't reveal herself to them, but it was for their own safety.

Alya, her best friend, and also Ladybug's greatest admirer, could never know her identity either. It was far too risky. She loved Alya and she knew her friend would probably keep the secret, but Marinette couldn't be sure. Alya was a natural journalist. And if there was one thing that Marinette had learned in the past few days, it was that people were capable of doing things that no one would ever expect from them.

There was no one else at school that she was close to. Nino was a good friend, but she didn't know him nearly well enough to share something like the fact that she was freaking _Ladybug_. And Adrien... Goodness, she couldn't even utter a coherent sentence around the boy. But Adrien was gone... And Chat Noir...

Marinette cried even harder as she thought about Chat Noir. She had been so stupid. Now that she was emotionally drained, she realized just how idiotic she had been to let her temper go off like that... all those horrible things she had said.

She had just needed time to cool off. Then maybe she could have gone and found Chat and they could have talked it out. And they could've been back racing around on the rooftops, fighting akumas and saving Paris. But now she had a new reason to hate the leather clad boy.

He had kidnapped Adrien. No, forget about Adrien. That wasn't even the most important part. He had kidnapped a civilian to get to her. Sure, she had been mad that night too. She had wanted to punch that smirky little grin right off of his face. But to go so far as to involve an innocent civilian out of jealousy...

It was disgusting and pathetic. She had always believed in the good of Chat Noir's personality, despite having not known him very well. She had figured that anyone risking his neck every day to save his city had to be a good person, right?

It was then that Marinette realized how little she knew about her former partner. She knew that he was a flirt, and she knew that he was always willing to throw himself into danger and take hits for her. That didn't mean that he was in love with her. In fact, it most likely meant that he was a player, and very reckless and carefree. The fact that he had flirted with her when they had worked together with the Evillustrater showed that he clearly had more girls than just her on his mind. What if he was only in it for the glory?

And he didn't just kidnap Adrien, he hurt Adrien. Badly. Well, they didn't technically know that, but she just had a feeling. One of her little lucky feelings. Her gut was trying to tell her something, but the message was so jumbled that she couldn't figure out what it was.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. Tikki looked up from where she had been sitting sadly in the corner. Marinette wiped her eyes dry enough that she could see the screen without her vision being blurry.

 ** **Alya**** : _The police dude texted me back! Here, I copied and pasted exactly what he said:_

_A blood test using samples from past doctor visits led the forensics team to confirm that the blood on the ransom note was in fact the blood of the teenage model kidnapped yesterday, Adrien Agreste. That's all they would tell me, but I assure you a serious investigation is under way._

_-Officer Dave_

****Marinette**** : _OMG POOR ADRIEN!_

 ** **Alya**** : _IKR! How are you holding up? This must be very hard for you. I really hope the police can get Adrien back. I'm really worried._

 ** **Marinette**** : _I'm okay. I just want all of this to be over._

 ** **Alya**** : _Stay strong girl! I'm sure Ladybug will fix everything! ;)_

 ** **Marinette**** : _No she won't, because I'm Ladybug and I'm so confused right now and I can't talk to anyone about it, even you! And I feel like I'm about to explode and I don't know what to do...And I can't stand this secret any longer!_

Marinette sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve as she deleted her last text before sending it to Alya. Suddenly, her trapdoor opened and her parents heads popped up.

"Marinette honey, are you okay?" Sabine asked, reaching out to hug her daughter. Marinette embraced her mother tightly as she sobbed.

"Oh Marinette, what's wrong?" Tom asked. "Is it something we did? If its about the curfew-"

"Oh Papa, no that's not it at all," Marinette said, blowing her nose. She couldn't believe her parents would blame themselves for her breakdown. Everything they had done was for her own safety and well being! "I'm just...really confused and lonely right now."

"You know you can talk to us about anything, sweetheart. That's what we're here for. We love you," Sabine comforted. It only sent Marinette into another round of tears.

" _I can't talk to you about everything. I have to hide the most important part of my life to the two people who love me the most."_ Marinette thought.

"Is it because of Adrien's kidnapping? Poor boy. I hope they aren't hurting him. And no ransom note or anything," Tom mused, glancing around at the pictures decorating Marinette's room.

" _But they are hurting him Papa, and there was a note. Not for Mr. Agreste, but for me. From Chat Noir. And by the way, I'm Ladybug."_

"I think that's part of it, I'm just so emotionally exhausted. I had a fight with a friend from school. It ended badly," Marinette confessed out loud. She could tell half the truth, right?

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetheart. Middle school is the worst," Sabine sighed. She put her hand on her daughter's forehead. "Marinette, you're burning up! You must have a fever!"

Marinette groaned softly in response. Her father scooped her up in his strong arms and carried her to her bed, where he set her down and pulled up her covers. Both of her parents hovered over her.

"Would you like something to eat, honey? Perhaps a croissant, or maybe a cream pastry? We ran out but I can make more and-" Sabine cut Tom off.

"Tom, I'll make her some soup. Pastries are hardly the best thing to eat when you're sick." She turned to Marinette. "I'll make some tea and soup and bring it up to your room. In the meantime, try to get some rest."

Both of her parents kissed her on the forehead before they headed back downstairs, shutting the light off. Tikki flew over. "Marinette, you look terrible!" she commented.

"Thanks a lot," Marinette mumbled, shifting into a more comfortable position. "What time is it?"

"I didn't mean it like that," Tikki insisted. "And its 4:30pm."

"Okay, I do feel really bad and really tired. I'll be fine after a nap. Wake me up at 5:30pm and we'll have plenty of time to get to the South side of the Louvre." And then Marinette flipped over and began to snore softly. Tikki giggled and flew under the bed, snuggling down for her own nap. She would have to be fully rested in order for Ladybug to be at her best that night.

############################################################################################################################################################

Tikki opened her little eyes and blinked confusedly. She had been asleep. Then why was there light shining in the room? Had Marinette stayed up late again working on designs and fallen asleep with the lamp on?

Yawning, the little red spotted kwami flew out from under the bed. She glanced at the alarm clock on Marinette's bed side table. 6:30pm blinked across the screen in red letters. Tikki panicked and screeched loudly as she yanked on Marinette's pigtails.

"Go away, Tikki. Five more minutes," Marinette mumbled sleepily.

"Marinette, you're late for the meeting with Chat Noir on the ransom note!" Tikki squealed. Marinette's eyes flew open. She scrambled to get out of bed, resulting on her falling on her face. God, she felt worse than she ever had before the nap. In addition to the fever, she felt queasy and even slightly dizzy.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tikki asked, knowing what the answer would be.

"I have to. Tikki, spots on!" Marinette groaned. The little kwami was sucked into her earrings. After Marinette had transformed, she opened the windows and took off into the night sky.

Ladybug stumbled across the rooftops as fast as she could, pushing herself to the physical limit. She though about what Chat Noir might do. Demand that she came with him in exchange for Adrien? She'd do it without a second thought. But what if he asked her to reveal her identity? Would she be willing to jeopardize EVERY single person who interacted with her on a daily basis?

She reached the warehouse, panting furiously. There was no one here. Maybe it was a trap?

"Hello?" she called into the darkness. No response. She glanced at her yoyo. It told her that it was 7:03pm. She was an hour late. What if she had missed her chance?

Ladybug pushed the thought into the back of her mind and started to look around, despite how bad she was feeling. She searched every inch of the warehouse and the buildings that surrounded it. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

She slid down into a sitting position, leaning against a chimney. She couldn't take it anymore. She started to sob. She stayed in that position, crying and shaking with her arms wrapped around her legs and her face in her knees.

############################################################################################################################################################

Chat's ears flicked. He could hear the voices approaching wherever he was. They were talking lowly, but thanks to his excellent animal hearing, he could just barely make out what they were saying.

"It'll be easier if we use the chloroform," one voice said. This one was strictly unfamiliar.

"I need him conscious. He needs to be able to feel the pain if we need to make Ladybug squirm," the other voice said. This was definitely the voice of the man that had kept visiting him.

"Yes, but what if he manages to escape? You told me yourself how many others he managed to escape!" the first voice came again.

"Not he, Trapper, _they_. He alone is useless. If it was Ladybug, I would use the chloroform. But Chat Noir is nowhere near as powerful. He depends solely on her. Besides, if we did have Ladybug we wouldn't have even had to send a ransom note. That foolish cat would have come crawling on his knees," the second man said, with that spine chilling laugh.

Chat felt a pang of despair run throughout him. They were right. Here he was, weak and useless, ready to be the perfect bait for his lady. He only prayed that the stubbornness he had seen in Ladybug prevented her from forgiving him about their argument. Maybe she wouldn't come.

Deep down, Chat wanted her to come. It would mean that she still cared, if only a little, for the poor stray kitty that thought the world of her. He bit his lip. " _I really am worthless,_ " he thought. " _I can't do anything right. I'm never good enough for anyone. I bet my father doesn't even miss me._ "

He didn't even try to stop the tears that spilled over the edge of his mask. What did he care if the mysterious man laughed at him? Mocked him? There was no way Chat Noir could hate himself more than he already did.

"Are you awake, kitty cat?" the unfamiliar voice asked. Chat flinched. "Relax, I just brought you some water," the man said. Chat was confused.

"Why?" he rasped. "Why do you care what happens to me?"

"I just want to hunt wherever I like! My dad and I did it together when I was a kid... and then they put him behind bars for shooting a female moose. And now they'll pay," the man's voice was laced with anger. "THEY WILL PAY! But I first have to fulfill my half of Hawkmoth's bargain."

"Hawkmoth, of course," Chat Nor spat.

"I didn't realize he'd be this mean, my daddy never did like seeing the animals suffer. Always shot 'em quick and clean, right in the head. They never felt no pain. And you're no animal." Chat felt the man's hand on his face, but didn't resist as the Trapper lifted the bottle of water to his lips.

Chat drank furiously, lapping at the water like a real cat. It felt so good on his throat. But the Trapper pulled the bottle back before he was even halfway done with it. "This may hurt," he apologized in advance.

"What may hurt?" Chat panicked. He got his answer soon enough. The Trapper dumped the remainder of the water onto Chat's leg. At first, the water felt soothing. Chat could feel it rinsing the dirt from his wound. But as soon as the downpour ceased and the air was able to get to the wound again, it hurt. A lot.

Chat hissed in pain and recoiled. He could feel the Trapper's gaze on him. He breathed in and out deeply, trying to get his reflexes back under control. He felt the beefy hand of the man on his legs. Then Chat realized that the Trapper was tying him up.

Of course he was. He would have to. Apparently they weren't going to knock him out, though. And Chat was incredibly grateful for the water. He was already so weak and dizzy from dehydration. He knew it wouldn't be long before he started hallucinating.

The Trapper grabbed his wrist, and Chat yelped as that familiar white hot pain shot through his arm. "Sorry," the Trapper whispered before continuing to bind the rope around Chat's wrists, while the blonde boy whimpered in pain. But he left them a little looser than was probably safe. It didn't matter. The poor cat was too weak to move on his own anyway.

Chat sighed in relief as the Trapper finished. The beefy man picked up the limp leather clad boy. He could have carelessly flung him over his shoulder roughly, but instead chose to carry Chat bridal style with a gentleness Chat didn't think was possible for someone so big.

"Where are you taking me?" Chat asked through clenched teeth.

"To your lady," the Trapper stated simply. Chat's heart sank in his chest.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My poor little kitty cat...
> 
> Review if you liked it! I love reading your reviews! Some of them make me laugh so hard! And then I get in trouble with my mother for having my phone in my bed and laughing loudly in the middle of the night. Anyways, till next chapter! Have a great day!


	8. Self Hate and Late Meeting Part 2

**Chapter 8: Self Hate and Late Meetings Part 2**

Ladybug slid down into a sitting position, leaning against a chimney. She couldn't take it anymore. She started to sob. She stayed in that position, crying and shaking with her arms wrapped around her legs and her face in her knees.

Why was she such a failure? She had hurt Chat Noir, the one person she trusted with her life, and that led him to kidnap and hurt Adrien Agreste, the love of her life. She could never forgive Chat for going so far. And she couldn't forgive herself for pushing him that far.

" _Did he really love me_?" she questioned. She had thought that his flirting was just him. That he flirted with every girl that came along, showing off and hoping to receive a compliment that would inflate his already over-inflated ego even more. Besides, how could he possibly love her?

Sure, when she donned the Ladybug mask she could be semi-impressive. At least to the news reporters and fans seemed to think so. She always managed to save the day in the end, and that was all the citizens of Paris cared about.

Chat was the one who watched her make mistakes. The one who watched as Plan A failed, and then Plan B failed, and then they just barely managed to pull of Plan C. Chat Noir was the one who saw all of the times that she failed to pay attention. That she was weak. He often took hits for her when she should have seen them coming. How could he possibly love her?

And if Chat had managed to overlook her weakness as Ladybug, there was no way he could ever love Marinette. Shy, stuttering, clumsy Marinette. She was never strong or cool. She could never keep her head on straight during a fight. Heck, when he showed up after first receiving his miraculous, he seemed cocky and confident. She had been a mess. She still was.

"Ladybug?" a tentative voice asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. Startled, she looked up to see Alya walking over to her. She stood up and immediately reached for her yoyo. "Wait, I'm not here for an interview."

Alya's words stopped her. Ladybug glanced back. If her crazy best friend who was obsessed with Ladybug wasn't here for an interview, then what did she want? "Then, why are you here? And how did you get up here?" she asked.

Alya pointed at the rickety fire escape on the side of the building. Ladybug had to hand it to her, that girl could do anything when she was determined enough. "I just wanted to see if you are okay," Alya said.

"Why?" Ladybug questioned, replacing her yoyo on her hip. "Why do you care?"

"Why wouldn't I care?" Alya asked, looking incredulously at the spotted girl. "You've saved Paris too many times to count. And after seeing that note from Chat Noir, I'm sure the police showed it to you, I can't imagine what you're going through."

"Still, why do you care?" Ladybug whispered. "Paris is safe. You're safe. You said it yourself, you don't even know who I am. How can you possibly trust me?" She laughed bitterly at her words. Alya frowned.

"I don't know. It's just, my friend Marinette was having a bad day today," Alya said. "And then I started thinking about it and I realized that you're just a person. I mean, not like THAT!" Alya waved her hands out in front of her.

"You're not just a person, you're incredibly brave and strong and cool and stuff! It's just...maybe I never stopped and considered that you have feelings too. I was so obsessed with figuring out your secret identity that I never stopped and thought about why you would keep it a secret," Alya finished. Ladybug's jaw dropped.

"I...I don't know what to say," Ladybug responded, wiping a tear from her eye. "I just, you're right. I don't know what to do anymore. I have to stay strong all the time for the cameras, and for my parents and friends in my life, who don't know who I am. I'm sorry that I turned out to be such a disappointment Alya. I know you idolized me. I'm sorry I didn't turn out to be the hero everyone thought I was."

Alya grabbed Ladybug by the shoulders and stared straight into her eyes. "Don't talk like that!" she demanded. "You're still my hero! If my partner went crazy and kidnapped someone and I had to deal with my real life along with my life as Ladybug and not be able to tell ANYONE, even my own parents, I think I would go crazy!"

"What makes you think I haven't?" Ladybug asked dryly.

"Look, Ladybug. The point is, you chose to ignore all of the loneliness and the suffering and the pain to help protect innocent people! And if that's not heroic, then I don't know what is!" Alya said, planting her hands on her hips.

Ladybug allowed a small smile to grace her lips. That's the Alya she knew and love. If only her best friend knew that one of the people that Ladybug regretted not being able to reveal her identity to was Alya herself.

"Thank you Alya, I guess I needed that today," Ladybug said gratefully. Alya's smile could not be matched.

"Alright girl, now we are going to hunt down Chat Noir and get Adrien back!" Alya cheered.

"Woah woah woah, what do you mean _we_?" Ladybug asked.

"Look Ladybug, you're the hero and all, but even heroes need help. I happen to be the best person for the job. I have so many different internet connections that can give us all kinds of crazy information!" Alya said. "I'm gonna be your Chat Noir for a bit! Please!" she added with big puppy dog eyes. Ladybug sighed.

"You know what Alya, that would actually be really helpful," she admitted with a sigh. It was better than nothing, right? Alya looked like she was about to explode from happiness. "But on one condition," she continued.

"ANYTHING!" Alya promised.

"That you can't tell _anyone_ about this. Or you may be targeted too. Chat picked Agreste because it would cause a big news disturbance and there was no way I wouldn't notice. If he finds out that you're helping me he may go after you," Ladybug said seriously. Alya nodded.

"I swear I won't tell a soul! What should I do first?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, I overslept accidentally and I missed the meeting with Chat Noir. Now I'm terrified he'll do something to Adri-um, the Agreste boy! I need you to search the internet and see if anyone saw anything, even slightly suspicious out here tonight in this area," Ladybug said. Alya nodded.

"I'm on it! And before you go, could I maybe, um, get a picture with you?" she asked shyly. Ladybug sighed. Once a fangirl, always a fangirl.

"Sure, but you can't post it on the Ladyblog," Ladybug relented. She put her arm around Alya's shoulders and smiled as the red head snapped the picture.

"Omigosh thank you soooooooooo much!" Alya gushed. She glanced at her phone. "Shoot, I'm supposed to be home in five minutes!"

"Maybe I can help with that," Ladybug said, stepping closer and grabbing Alya's waist while pulling out her yoyo.

"What do you meeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan?" Alya finished with a shriek as Ladybug jumped off of the roof and swung off into the night. "THIS IS SO AWESOME!"

############################################################################################################################################################

Chat Noir thought that he would be ready when The Trapper stepped out of the dark room and into the light. He wasn't. The light seared at his eyes, forcing him to squeeze them shut and keep them shut as the Trapper plodded along. Great, now he would have no idea how to get out of here if he managed to escape. Although it was very doubtful he would be able to at this point.

"You have him?" the other voice asked. Now Chat knew that it belonged to Hawkmoth. The Trapper must have nodded because Chat heard no response.

"Good, you know the plan."

"Yes master," the Trapper answered. There was the sound of a door opening and closing and then the cold fresh air hit his face. It felt so wonderful and refreshing and-

"You can open your eyes now," the Trapper informed him. Chat slowly opened his eyes. It still hurt him a bit, but it was getting dark out and his eyes pretty much completely adjusted to the light. "If you make any sounds, I'm going to have to hurt you," the Trapper warned Chat quietly. The cat boy nodded. Better safe than sorry. Besides, no one that could hear him would stand a chance against this guy.

The Trapper headed across the rooftops, leaping swiftly and silently across. Chat noticed that they were in the South side of the city. They were heading towards the Louvre.

" _Please, please, please don't come Ladybug,_ " Chat prayed silently.

The Trapper stopped on the rooftop of an abandoned warehouse. He set Chat down gently, leaning him against a chimney. He pulled out extra rope and tied him to the chimney, preventing him from going anywhere. Then The Trapper crossed his arms and stood there, fiddling with his tranq gun as he waited.

Chat hung his head. He felt so useless. Here he was, injured and tied up, sitting quietly and waiting for Ladybug to show up and meet her doom. He was so stupid to have even considered that Ladybug might have needed his help while fighting the akumatized Trapper. If he had just stayed home and played those stupid video games, none of this would have happened.

And now she was going to be in trouble. And it was Chat's fault. Why hadn't he just stayed out of the way? He was such a hindrance. He always had been. All of those akuma fights that he and Ladybug had would have been easier for her if he stayed out of the way.

He just wasn't good enough. He never had been good enough. Teat's probably why his mom walked out on him. She had recognized it earlier. He supposed his father was stuck with him and took advantage of his good looks to help boost the company's popularity.

Why wasn't he good enough? Why couldn't he be wanted anywhere? Why did no one love him? It was his stupid bad luck. He had it before he put on the ring and became Chat Noir. It was probably his bad luck that led him to find the ring in the first place...

And then he had met Ladybug. And he'd fallen for her. Quite literally, actually. He remembered falling and getting tangled up in her yoyo and staring into those pretty bluebell eyes for the first time. She was the first person who made him feel like he was worth something. The first person that made feel like an _equal_.

But did she really feel like that? Ladybug was far too nice and considerate to tell him that he wasn't wanted. She was so nice and perfect. Then again, he had often taken hits for her. He had always considered it his duty to keep her safe. Keep her safe because he loved her, not because it was his job.

Chat's eyes widened. What if that was all it was? A job. Ladybug said they were a team, so he showed up, he loved her, and he took hits for her. What if his only purpose was just to make sure she wasn't hurt? What if she was just...using him?

Chat Noir closed his eyes and let out a shuddering sigh. His arm throbbed, and the pain in his leg was really beyond describing at this point. The wound hadn't stopped bleeding. But his heart was what hurt him most of all.

He could hear Plagg in the back of his mind, trying to comfort him, but he was beyond comforting. And Plagg's attempts were so weak and feeble. Chat new that his kwami was exhausted. Normally he would have changed back long ago, but he new that Plagg was holding on for as long as he possibly could.

But it was weakening the kwami terribly. He had turned to an old kwami trick, something he hated to do but he knew that he must. Plagg was slowly using his master's own energy to keep the transformation active. Not only was it slowly draining the kwami, who would have had to give up long ago, but it was also draining the boy. And Plagg felt terrible.

"Looks like the bug is taking her time," The Trapper commented. Chat opened his eyes and looked around. He no longer had to hope she wouldn't come. She wouldn't. As long as she was safe, he wasn't needed. And there was no reason she would risk her own safety to save him.

The knowledge should have made Chat feel better, but it didn't. He was still clinging desperately to the small hope that _maybe_ , _just maybe_ , this was all in his mind. That Ladybug would swoop down any second, her yoyo in hand, and take down the Trapper.

And then he could apologize. Explain that he understood how much of a burden he was, and that he would just do his job and make sure that she was safe. He would stop with the puns. Stop with the flirting. Do his job and then get out of her way. They could fight the akumas like that.

But deep down, Chat Noir still loved Ladybug. It was irrational, it was ridiculous, and it would never be returned, but _oh dear god he loved her so much_.

"That's it, times up!" the Trapper said, shrugging. "Hawkmoth is going to be very angry that she didn't show." The giant camo clad man glanced down at the boy at his feet. Chat Noir had his eyes closed, and his breathing was coming in short gasps. There was a small pool of blood around his leg, and his right arm lay limply at his side. "Hey kid?" he said tentatively.

Chat opened his eyes and glared at The Trapper. Wow, he had never realized that the kid had such piercing green eyes. The Trapper gulped. His father had green eyes. He remembered the excitement that sparkled within them when he had proudly watched his son take down his first deer.

"What?" Chat moaned.

"Are you okay?" The Trapper asked, shrugging. "I mean, um, because Hawkmoth would kill me if you died!" he added hastily. Chat shrugged.

"I'm paw-sitively purr-fect," he answered weakly. Man, his head hurt so badly. And he felt dizzy and faint. He couldn't tell if it was from dehydration or blood loss or a mixture of them both. The Trapper reached into his pocket and handed Chat a bottle of water and a small piece of bread.

"It's all I can give you," he said, shrugging. Chat devoured it with fervor, gulping down the water like it would disappear if he stopped to take a breath. As he looked up, Hawkmoth's symbol appeared around The Trapper's face, showing that Hawkmoth was communicating with him.

"Well, he says that Ladybug missed her chance. You're coming back with us," the Trapper relayed the message. "He also told me to warn you that since Ladybug didn't come, you'll be paying the price for it."

The Trapper pulled Chat off of the ground and forced him back towards wherever Hawkmoth's lair was. This time, he kept his hand over the boy's eyes, making sure that Chat would be thoroughly confused and have no idea where the lair was, just in case.

As they both disappeared into the shadows, The Trapper didn't notice the red and black spotted girl swinging up onto the rooftop where they had been minutes earlier.


	9. Information, Different Tactics

**Chapter 9: Information, Different Tactics**

The Trapper led Chat back to Hawkmoth's lair. Chat tried to use his animal instincts to keep his sense of direction, but with the Trapper's hand firmly clamped over his eyes he couldn't see. He was also positive the Trapper must have gone in circles a few times as well. Whatever he had done it had clearly worked. Chat was no closer to figuring out where he was than he had been two hours ago.

When The Trapper finally removed the hand that was blocking Chat's vision, he was so incredibly thankful that his emerald green eyes were not met with blackness. He didn't think he could take any more blackness. He didn't think he would ever be able to stand being in the dark again.

Although his heart felt blackened. Ladybug hadn't come. He knew he shouldn't blame her. He was the one who was praying that she wouldn't come. But that was before he realized exactly what he meant to her. He was the distraction, the expendable one, there to make sure that she could do her job. After all that, he really was just a sidekick.

He wondered why it hurt him so much. He had always assumed that he had kinda just been the sidekick. He was always slightly jealous of Ladybug (who wouldn't be?) but mostly he just admired her. The day when she stood up for him in front of the reporters, calling him her _partner_ , her _equal_ , was the best day of his life.

There was no one else that cared for him like that. It didn't even have to be caring on Ladybug's part. He had just always felt beneath everybody. His father, certainly, who made it clear that Adrien's opinions didn't matter at all; Chloe, who was his friend since childhood but had always made it clear that she was better than him; Alya, who was enthusiastic and brave (even to a slightly insane point); Nino, with his talent and good taste in music, who could make friends flawlessly and even had the nerve to ask out the girl he had been crushing on.

Heck, even Marinette, the adorable and clumsy girl who sat behind him in class, made him feel so much beneath her. Not that she tried, of course. She was WAY too nice to even consider that. She was just so nice to everyone, and she stood up for what she believed. She had even stood up to Chloe, something he just couldn't bring himself to do. And her talent in the fashion design industry was simply incredible.

He was a total and complete failure. He wondered where Ladybug was. Maybe she was sitting in school somewhere, if it was daytime. Maybe she was on patrol right now. Or maybe she was cuddling with her boyfriend on a sofa somewhere.

That thought made Chat Noir frown. And the fact that he had frowned at the thought made him internally wince. Why did he still care for her? He knew love wasn't easy to let go of, but he was in an extreme circumstance. He just couldn't bring himself to give up on her. And he hated that. It would be so much easier to give up right about now. To let himself realize that he had never had a chance with her, and that she would never come find him.

Although he had to mentally check himself and remind himself that he wasn't in a situation where he could just walk away from his problems so easily, considering that Chat probably couldn't walk at all right now. He forced his groggy mind to come out of the world of dreams and suffering and back into reality.

Honestly, if there was one place Chat Noir did not want to be right now, it was reality. He glanced around, observing his surroundings. The room looked surprisingly normal. Four greyish walls surrounded him. The floor was made out of linoleum, which he found odd. The only door in or out was the one that they had come in.

He looked up and his piercing green eyes widened in shock. Pacing back and forth right in front of him, dressed in a black and purple suit with a black mask all the way over his head, was Hawkmoth.

"WHY DIDN'T SHE SHOW?" Hawkmoth was ranting now, clearly very flustered. Chat Noir bit his tongue in anger. This was the man who had been wreaking havoc on Paris for years, screwing with people's emotions. If looks could kill, Hawkmoth would have long since been dead from Chat's icy stare.

"I don't know master," The Trapper said, shrugging. Chat bit back a whimper as the movement jostled his arm. The Trapper set him down on the linoleum floor, which was surprisingly cold. It didn't comfort Chat in the slightest, who had been shivering from the cold temperature of the dark room and then the cold Paris night air.

"THIS IS LUDICROUS! AND AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME TOO!" Hawkmoth continued. The Trapper looked confused.

"I'm not sure what you mean," he said, scratching the back of his rather large neck.

Suddenly, Hawkmoth looked up, as if he had a good idea. "I have someone I need you to search for."

"Ladybug?"

"No, this is far more personal. But I'll instruct you later. For now, I need to see what answers I can drag out of this alley cat," Hawkmoth said, leaning his weight on his cane and smiling softly, yet cruelly, at Chat Noir. Chat shivered. "Leave us," Hawkmoth whispered. The Trapper bowed and exited the room.

"Well well well, look what the cat's dragged in," Hawkmoth said, smirking slightly.

"Was that your attempt at a cat joke? Seems to me like you came up with on the _fly_ ," Chat said, still able to smirk back a Hawkmoth in his weak and dizzy state.

Hawkmoth just stared at Chat impassively, which angered the cat immensely. He was hoping for some sort of reaction there. After all, he was one of the most annoying people on the planet when he wanted to be. The fact that Hawkmoth could look upon his pun so passively ticked him off. Didn't that man know how hard it was to think of a butterfly pun? Escpesically when you were in a condition like his?

"You know, you could make this a lot easier on yourself, Chat Noir," Hawkmoth said lowly.

"I'll never give you my miraculous!" Chat said, clenching his hand into a fist. Hawkmoth laughed that spine-chilling laugh.

"Do you really think that it's that easy? That if you simply said 'no' it would stop me from taking it by force? Although, it is rather more complicated than that. I need both you and Ladybug. And I needed you alive as bait. Unfortunately for, your little love bug decided not to show up."

"Exactly," the smirk felt wrong on Chat's face, he'd rather break down and sob, but it felt good to stand up to someone for once. "She didn't come. And she never will. You won't get her miraculous."

"Oh, but there's more than one way to skin a cat," Hawkmoth said. Chat bristled. This man had a sense of humor close to his own. "I need that miraculous. It would be so much easier for me to attack her in civilian form. And although I do not know her identity, you do. And you're going to tell me what it is.

Chat wanted to laugh. He had no idea who Ladybug really was. She had always forced him to keep it a secret, and he had always respected that. Now he realized that she didn't want him to be able to annoy her in her real life as well as her superhero life.

"I don't know who she is," he stated simply.

"I doubt that very much."

"She always wanted to keep our identities a secret. She never told me."

"You're lying."

"Am I?" Chat raised an eyebrow. Hawkmoth glared down at him before reaching into his suit pocket and pulling out a knife. Chat's eyes widened. He had been expecting something like this, but it still scared him.

"Yes, you are. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

"I r-really d-don't know!" Chat stammered, wide green eyes following the silver glint of the blade.

"I don't believe you," Hawkmoth whispered.

"Sucks," Chat commented. There was nothing else to say.

"For you, perhaps," Hawkmoth smirked before swiping the tip of the blade across Chat's face, leaving a gash from his chin to his ear. It started bleeding badly. Chat winced but refused to comment."

"This will all be over soon, Chat Noir," Hawkmoth whispered. "And if you tell me who she is, I'll kill you both relatively quickly."

"I don't understand why villains always think that's such a bargain. You know what else could happen? You kill me and she stays safe. I think that's a much better ending."

"I doubt my knife would you agree with you," Hawkmoth warned. Chat didn't respond. "Very well then."

This time, Hawkmoth didn't hold back. He plunged at least an inch of the blade into Chat Noir's side as the boy yelled in agony. The blood pooled from the wound and made a satisfactory puddle on the floor.

"Still refuse to answer me?" Hawkmoth questioned, very haughty and confidently. There was again no answer, just the cat boy's labored breathing. "Very well then, it can only get worse from here." And he raised the knife again.

############################################################################################################################################################

Ladybug pretended to follow Alya's directions to her house. She knew very well where Alya lived, having visited it frequently in civilian form, but Alya didn't know that. After Alya had gotten over her immense fangirling and disbelief of how incredibly AWESOME it was to fly around the city with THE LADYBUG, she calmed down and started tapping away on her phone.

When they reached Alya's house, Ladybug set the girl down on the rooftop. Alya held out her phone for the superheroine to see.

"So, I started searching through the most recent submissions to the Ladyblog, but there was nothing there. So I Google-searched weird activity and some monster hunter website just got a submission about a strange creature seen lurking around the rooftop of the warehouse that you were supposed to meet Chat Noir at!"

Ladybug studied the blurry picture on the phone. It was just a shadow, but there was definitely someone or something there. "Thanks Alya, I'll go check it out. Did the source mention which way it was headed?"

"Towards the East side of the city," Alya answered while reading from her phone. Ladybug nodded.

"Thank you for your help," she said softly. Alya blushed and nodded.

"I'll be on the lookout for anything strange!" the red head promised before dashing inside of her house. Ladybug smiled and tossed her yoyo into the air. She had a boy to save.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next chapter we will definitely get to some revelations….. just maybe not the ones you'd expect. And with that closing thought, I take my leaves. *bows dramatically, walks away*


	10. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The author kwami has been fed. As usual, thanks for that! Ya'll are awesome! ;)
> 
> Anyway, here is another full length chapter! Things start getting a little more interesting in this one. Also, some people commented on the violence in the last chapter. My fics are rated T for a reason. But the gory stuff is pretty much over right now. Anyway, ENJOY!

 

****Chapter 10: Revelations** **

Gabriel Agreste paced his office. Why wouldn't this person give in?! All he wanted to do was achieve his ultimate goal! He sat down at his desk and put his head in his hands. Remembering something, he picked up the phone in front of him and dialed.

"Yes sir?" Natalie asked from the other end of the line.

"Have they found anything on my son, Natalie?" he asked lowly. Fear was starting to creep in. He hadn't received a ransom note or anything! What if Adrien was hurt! He couldn't imagine that the boy would have run away. He could be troublesome at times, especially when he insisted on going to that foul public school, but Adrien had everything he ever wanted here. Why would he run? No, there must be another explanation.

"Well sir, I just received an update from the head of the police department and I was about to call you," Natalie explained. "Apparently, one of Adrien's classmates found a note that was supposed to go to Paris' heroine, Ladybug."

"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" Gabriel roared, fists slamming onto the desk. Natalie was startled, but chose not to say anything.

"Yes, of course sir. Whatever you ask. Anyway, the ransom note was vague but it basically said for Ladybug to meet someone at a specific location. The head of police wouldn't tell me where because no one was supposed to interfere."

Gabriel felt his blood run cold. A ransom note for Ladybug? And one of Adrien's classmates found it? Shakily, he asked, "Do they know who it was from?"

"You'll never believe this, but it was signed with Chat Noir's signature paw print!" Natalie exclaimed. Then she gulped, took in a shallow breath, and continued, "And the paw print wasn't made signed with ink..."

"WHAT CONCERN IS IT TO ME THAT IT WASN'T SIGNED IN INK?" Gabriel roared, absolutely furious. That meddlesome sidekick had kidnapped his precious son! But wait, he had the meddlesome sidekick! He had captured him before his son's disappearance! Unless...

"Actually, what was it signed with, Natalie?" he asked in a calmer voice. Natalie was beyond confused at her boss' sudden switch in tone. But she didn't want to set him off again. He would be so angry when he heard that Adrien was hurt.

"Adrien's blood," she whispered. She hung up quickly, knowing he would be angry at her for doing so, but she was unwilling to listen to the explosion on the other end. Surely Mr. Agreste would be furious.

What she didn't know was that there was no explosion. No yelling, no shattering vases, no curses filling the air. Gabriel had dropped the phone as soon as Natalie had disconnected. It had clattered to the floor. That was the only sound that filled the room, and then silence. He stood there, shocked and unwilling to believe what all of the evidence was screaming in his face.

No. No no no no no no no no NO!

He sucked in a deep breath. This couldn't be true. It simply couldn't be! There was no way! He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it! It simply wasn't possible. And yet it was...

All the puzzle pieces fit together and the puzzle had turned out to be one of the most hideous and grotesque pictures every. He wanted to undo the puzzle, rip the pieces apart and scatter them on the floor. He wanted to return life back to the way it was before he had started building the damn thing...

But he had started years ago. It had been too long. Now the puzzle was stuck together. There was no way to take it back. It had all started back when...she had died. She had died, and he was heartbroken, And then he had found Nooroo. And he had found the way to bring her back. The puzzle picture had looked different on the cover of the box containing the pieces.

He had loved his son... He was all he had left of her until he could bring her back. Then he had thought that they could happily be together. He could have created the perfect world for the three of them to live in. Sure, he had to ignore Adrien for a few years in order to be alone enough to have time to obtain the two things he needed to build paradise for them. After all this time...

Could he really have been hunting his own son?

######################################################################################################################################################################

"MARINETTE!"

The loud shriek jerked Marinette out of her uneasy slumber. She fell out of bed in surprise. What the heck? Was there an fire? And akuma? She could hear the pounding of the footsteps below her. What was going on? Was there something wrong with her parents?

"MAAAAARIIIIIIINEEEEEETTE!" the unbelievably loud voice called again.

"Alya, be quiet!" Marinette heard two voices yell at the intruder simultaneously. Her parents. She grinned slightly, unable to make a real smile appear on her face. She was so tired and heartbroken and sad. But she should have known Alya would have run over here to make her ears bleed after last night.

"Up here!" she called while yawning. She turned and started to dig through her dresser for some clothes. The door burst open and Alya was standing there.

"YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED! But you can't tell anyone! Anyone at all! I mean it this time, my life could be in danger if you do!" Alya said, nearly bouncing off the walls.

"Drink too much coffee or something?" Marinette asked, pulling a pair of pants and a shirt out of her dresser.

"No, okay so you know that ransom note you found? You read it, right?"

"Kinda hard not to when I was the one who found it and the fact that you were waving it in my face _all day_ yesterday."

"Well, I went to the location to see if I could film the meeting!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN ADRIEN KILLED FOR THAT! THE NOTE SAID 'COME ALONE'!"

"Calm down girl, it told Ladybug to come alone. It wouldn't have been her fault if I had showed up. She didn't know I was following her," Alya said, shrugging. Marinette sighed.

"I doubt Chat would have agreed."

"Whatever, anyway, I came late! And guess what, Ladybug accidentally slept too long or something, do superheroes take naps? Never mind, basically, she missed the meeting. And guess who she said could help her track down Cat Noir and save Adrien?"

"Volpina," Marinette suggested sarcastically, before biting her tongue. Honestly, she wasn't herself today. She could practically feel Tikki's glare of disdain from where the kwami was hiding.

"Nope! Only yours truly, moi!" Alya said, sweeping her arm in a grand gesture. Marinette put on a huge fake smile and tried her best to fangirl.

"Omigosh Alya, really? YOU helping LADYBUG! I'm soooo jealous!" she squealed. Alya was grinning like mad.

"I KNOW RIGHT! But you can't tell anyone! Ladybug said that Chat Noir might target me if he knew I was helping!"

"Of course I'll keep it a secret Alya," Marinette promised. "I'm actually really good at keeping secrets."

"You don't have any!" Alya laughed.

" _If only you knew.._." Marinette thought.

"Anway, I'm going to go downstairs and make some breakfast for us. Then we can walk to school together," Alya said. She walked away humming.

Marinette flopped down on her bed, groaning. "I forgot it's only Thursday. Three days since Adrien disappeared." She glanced at a poster and sighed longingly.

"I know, Marinette. But we'll get through this together! We always have!" Tikki said, her bright little eyes filled with kindness. Marinette smiled despite of herself.

"Why can't I do it, Tikki?" she asked.

"Do what?" Tikki questioned. Marinette sighed.

"Why can't I hate him?"

Tikki knew who the 'him' was. Chat. She knew Marinette was better than that. After the rage from their argument had worn off, it was Marinette's stubborn prideful streak that had allowed her to hold a grudge. Then it was her undying love for her classmate. Now she was running out of reasons to hate her partner.

"I mean, I have every reason to hate him, simply because he kidnapped and hurt someone. But deep down, I have this... feeling. This feeling that maybe things aren't what they cracked up to be," Marinette said, her voice cracking. She buried her hands in her face, letting a few tears slip from her eyes.

"What was it I said about a year and a half ago? 'Chat Noir may annoy me to pieces, but he's no thief!' I don't think he would go so far as to kidnap someone. Unless..." Marinette's voice trailed off.

"Unless what?" Tikki asked.

"Do you think he really loved me?" Marinette asked in a shaky whisper. Tikki facepalmed.

"Oh Marinette, I love you, but you are so ridiculously blind! Chat loved you more than anything!" Tikki said, slightly annoyed.

" _Loved,_ " Marinette said, looking down. "I broke his heart. What if it was too much for him? What if he went crazy? I can't hate him for that..."

"Why do you want to hate him so badly?" Tikki asked, still annoyed.

"What if I have to take him out?" Marinette asked. The she broke down and sobbed. Tikki didn't know how to respond. She just went over and nuzzled Marinette's cheek while the girl cried.

######################################################################################################################################################################

He wanted to die. He was lying on this hard floor, not even tied up and yet too weak to move or escape anyway. Slowly bleeding to death. Why couldn't it be over already? Why couldn't he just die!

Chat Noir now thought of his family and friends. Would his father be worried? He had hugged Adrien a few weeks back after the incident with Jackady. It was proof that he actually cared. Did he care now?

He thought about Nino. Nino was his best friend. The only person who Adrien had let his Chat personality bleed through with. Nino accepted him as he was. He fought for him, to make him feel better. Heck, he was _akumatize_ d just because he wanted to throw Adrien a birthday party. And now he would never see that red baseball cap and orange headphones again. He could never thank Nino for being the best friend he had ever had.

Alya and Marinette would probably miss him too. Alya was fun to talk to. She was excitable and blatantly honest. He also admired her courage and perseverance. Marinette stuttered around him a lot. He wasn't sure why. He hoped it wasn't because he intimidated her or anything. Marinette was really nice. She was so sweet to everyone, and and was a truly talented fashion designer. And baker. And video game player. Oh, the bittersweet memories.

He avoided thinking of Ladybug. He had suffered enough already. Might as well hope this was all over quickly. Hawkmoth, apparently, had other ideas. His cat ear's picked up the sound of footsteps heading towards the room he was lying in.

This was so cruelly unfair! His lady (he must stop calling her that, even in his mind) had refused to tell him her secret identity. She had never trusted him. And now he was paying for it. He didn't know her identity! He wouldn't tell Hawkmoth if he did know... But something just felt wrong about the fact that he was getting tortured to find an answer he didn't have.

Hawkmoth burst into the room. Chat didn't even bother to look up. He wanted to curl up to protect himself, but he was sure that if he moved his the pain in his side, which already felt like hell, would hurt even more. So he just lay there, his breathing uneven. Waiting.

Hawkmoth seemed to freeze as he came into the room. He stared at Chat, looking at him. Same height. Same blonde hair, if only slightly messier and longer. Same piercing green eyes. Hawkmoth felt the panic arise in his throat.

He wanted to be wrong. He so desperately wanted to be wrong. He had noticed the ring that Adrien was wearing a few weeks ago. Looking back at photoshoot pictures, he realized that Adrien had that ring on his finger 24/7 for two years now. Ladybug and Chat Noir had showed up and defeated his first akuma two years ago.

It was too crazy to be a coincidence. But maybe, just maybe, he would pull off the ring and as the transformation was released he might see someone other than his son. There was only one way to find out for sure.

But what if it was? He felt the bile rise in his throat and he now blanched as he observed the wounds he had been so satisfied seeing just last night. What if he had done this to his son? His precious baby boy?

"Why are you just standing there?" the leather clad boy questioned. His breathing sounded very uneven, as if he had to fight for breath. His words were slightly slurred as well. It didn't sound like Adrien. But then again, he supposed it was part of the magic. His voice didn't sound like Gabriel Agreste when he was Hawkmoth. He took a few shaky steps forward.

Hawkmoth reached down and gently reached for Chat Noir's right arm. Chat pulled it backwards slightly, and Hawkmoth noticed the sharp hiss of pain that escaped the cat boy through clenched teeth. He gently took hold of Chat's wrist, and ever so slowly, slid the ring from his finger.

"No," Chat Noir gasped, but it was too late. A flash of green light made Hawkmoth squeeze his eyes shut. Shaking slightly, he opened them.

Same height. Same blonde hair, except tidier and slightly shorter. Same piercing green eyes. The black leather suit had been replaced by jeans, a black t-shirt with three stripes running across it, and a white jacket. Agreste designer clothes.

"No," Hawkmoth said, staring at his son's bloody face. "NOOOOOOOO!"

He turned, backing out of the room. He nearly tripped over his own feet as he stumbled outside. And then he ran. He bolted out the door, running and running and running. He dashed to his office, where he immediately released his transformation.

"Nooroo, wings in!" he whispered. A flash of purple light left Gabriel Agreste standing in his office, staring at the picture of his wife. His world was spinning. What had he done? He broke down and sobbed. He needed her back! That was all he ever wanted! To bring her back and live happily with her and his son! His son... who was slowly dying from wounds that Gabriel himself had inflicted upon him.

He was such a mess that he didn't notice Plagg pick up the ring from where Gabriel had dropped it upon the floor. Nooroo saw the cat kwami, but said nothing. The little purple kwami longed to follow Plagg, but he was bound to the miraculous of his master. He hoped that Plagg could somehow summon Ladybug or maybe even save Chat Noir. Then he could be free of his bonds, and this master who used him for such evil purposes.

Plagg grabbed the ring and flew determinedly from the room. He had to get back to Adrien! And then they had to figure out how to get out of here. If Adrien could just re-transform, his suit would stop the bleeding and give extra support to his wrist, and it would help him heal faster.

Plagg didn't even notice the little kwami tears running down his face. He couldn't lose another Chat Noir. Not like he had lost the others. And Adrien was the best one yet. Plagg had tried to remain indifferent. Had tried not to grow close to the boy, to only focus on cheese. But Adrien had managed to overcome those walls. There was no way Plagg was going to let him die now.

 


	11. Escape

 

**Chapter 11: Escape**

"No! NOOOOOOOOO!" Hawkmoth's yell hurt Adrien's ears. The black and purple-suited man stumbled backwards, reaching out to grip the door handle. Adrien stared at him in confusion. Why was he freaking out like this?

Other than confusion, the only emotion Adrien felt was defeat. Hawkmoth knew who he was now. He could target his father, he could target his friends. No one who interacted with him on a daily basis was safe. And what would Ladybug think if Hawkmoth gave away his identity to the world?

She had probably seen him for what he was all along. A spoiled rich boy who couldn't do anything right, and always got what he wanted handed to him on a silver platter.

So Adrien watched with disinterest as Hawkmoth left, rapid footsteps retreating down the hallway. Now what? Seriously, now what? He suspected Hawkmoth would most certainly use someone close to him as a means to break him. Would he tell Hawkmoth who Ladybug was if his father's life was on the line? And that's when he remembered, it didn't matter. Darien _couldn't_ tell him. Anyone who was used to threaten an answer out of Adrien would die, simply because Adrien didn't have the answer.

But it was no use mulling over something that he had spent the last 24 hours mulling over. It was no use trying to give himself any hope. Deep down, he wanted to tell himself, " _You're Chat Noir! Ladybug's partner! You can do anything!_ " Except that he wasn't really Ladybug's partner. Just a sidekick. If that. And he wasn't Chat Noir anymore. He had been stripped of his powers.

He felt gilt-ridden as he thought about Plagg. Who knew what kinds of horrible things the kwami would be forced to do under Hawkmoth's control. He hoped that Hawkmoth would at least give Plagg some cheese quickly. He had been transformed far too long. He knew it had taken its toll on his little black buddy.

Suddenly, a little black blur flew into the room. Great, now he was hallucinating. Like this day could get any worse. Adrien turned his head away, which sent a wave of nausea throughout his body. The little black blur hit his back and then landed on the floor with a _thump_! Then there was another sound, a little tinkling sound, like metal hitting the linoleum floor.

"A-A-Adrien," a little voice moaned. "Ch-cheese. P-p-pocket. T-too weak."

"Plagg?" Adrien asked, trying not to tense up in surprise. He took his good arm and ever so slowly inched it to his pocket, where he knew there was a block of Camembert. He pulled it out and sent it rolling in the kwami's direction. The little black cat struggled over and took a big bite.

Adrien looked next to Plagg. There, reflecting off of the one light on the ceiling was a silver ring. His miraculous. "How did you get it back?" Adrien exclaimed, wincing at how hoarse his voice sounded.

"Can't explain, must EAT!" Plagg answered with his mouth full, so it sounded more like "Camf epwain, muft EGHT!" Adrien reached out and ever so slowly slid the ring onto his right hand's ring finger. It sent a shiver up that arm, because that was the one that Hawkmoth had broken. His wrist was still swelling and the entire arm was more or less useless.

He looked back and saw that Plagg had finished the entire block of cheese in less than 6 seconds. A new record. "Plagg, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Plagg answered wearily. "I could use a million more blocks of Camembert, but I'll survive. You need to transform and get out of here!"

"Don't get your hopes up Plagg. I'm pitiful and useless at this point. I can't walk. I can hardly move. Besides, can you even handle another transformation after holding that last one for so long? You can't lie to me and tell me that didn't nearly kill you, because I know it did."

"It was worth it Adrien! If it makes you feel less guilty, I was feeding off of YOUR energy to keep that transformation up. I'm the one who should feel guilty!" Plagg answered. "Besides, where would I get my cheese if I had let you die?" That comment normally would have made Adrien roll his eyes, but he just stared at Plagg.

"You need to get out of here, Plagg. Go find someone else to be Chat Noir. He can play defense and help Ladybug protect Paris and take down Hawkmoth." Adrien's face hardened at the thought of someone else helping Ladybug. Why did he even still care?

"No!" Plagg answered defiantly.

"Plagg, I don't want to argue. You know that this is the best descisi-"

"NO!" Plagg said, more forcefully. "You and I are getting out of this together! If you think for one second I'm going to just leave you here to die, then you're wrong! I love-uh- cheese! And you give it to me!" Plagg offered Adrien a pitiful smile. The true sentiment of what Plagg was trying to say made Adrien perk up a bit more.

"But I'm practically useless Plagg! I can hardly move! How am I supposed to get out of here?" Adrien pushed his elbow underneath himself and lifted the upper half of his body off the floor. He immediately let himself collapse upon the ground. It hurt so much. He sat there, panting and clenching his teeth because of the pain.

"Transform," Plagg offered, "Your suit will cut off your blood loss. It will also cut the air off from the wound, so it will hurt less. And it will offer extra stability to your wrist. Unfortunately, I won't be able to help you heal, because I'm so exhausted that it will take me everything I have to keep you transformed long enough to get help."

"Are you sure?" Adrien asked again. Plagg looked incredibly annoyed.

"YES! Just transform already!" the little kwami said, stomping his paw upon the ground. Adrien took a deep breath. And he made up his mind. He needed to escape. He honestly felt bad to do this to Plagg, but he had to escape. Not for Ladybug's sake, but for the sake of his family and friends, who would be targeted. He had to protect them.

"Plagg, claws out!" he said. Plagg braced himself and flew into the ring. The transformation was a little awkward, to say the least. Adrien had to use his good arm to run his bad hand over his eyes and ears to provide his signature ears and mask. And he did no little scratch dance afterwards.

Surprisingly, he felt a lot better as soon as he was transformed. The rips and tears in his suit were gone, cutting the air off from his deep cuts and gashes, which helped make the pain a lot more tolerable. Plus, he wasn't losing any more blood. That's always a bonus.

He pulled himself to his feet, using the wall for support. He felt dizzy, but he managed to take several steps, leaning heavily on the wall, and reach the doorway. He stepped outside into the hallway. It was bright, and it gave him a headache. He limped down the hallway as fast as he could (which honestly was not very fast). He had just rounded a corner and come to a door when he heard an angry and panicked voice.

"WHERE DID HE GO? AND WHERE DID THAT MIRACULOUS GO?"

He pushed open the door, knowing that the first place they would look was around the corner. He prayed that he wouldn't walk into a dead ended room. To his surprise, the vent opened to a rooftop. A very familiar rooftop.

It was dark, but he had night vision. He was dizzy and leaning against the doorway for support right now. But he clearly recognized the rooftop that he was on. The rooftop to his mansion. His home. Hawkmoth had been under his nose the whole time! But who was under the mask…?

Crazy as it might seem, he decided to dismiss that thought. His mind could barely focus on one thing at a time, more or less several. His top priority was to get out of here. Chat clenched his teeth and threw himself to the closest rooftop.

He landed on the rooftop with a hard thud. Dragging himself back up, Chat limped across several more connected rooftops. His vision was getting blurrier and blurrier. His head was pounding. His side burned and his leg ached. He was going to pass out…

" _No. Just keep going_ ," he mentally urged himself. He looked across the gap from the roof he was on to the next one. Seven feet. Just seven measly feet. He stepped up to the edge, his vision making it hard to tell if he was standing right on the edge or a foot away. Was that fire escape supposed to be bending and multiplying like that?

Chat Noir took a deep breath, and then jumped.

He was going to land wrong. He knew it the moment that his foot left the hard cement. It was that feeling he always got right before his bad luck would strike. There was nothing he could do to stop it, it was already too late.

His leg twisted viciously as it landed on the edge of the roof, effectively tripping him. He went down, yelping like a real cat. Then his head hit a pipe, and everything went black.

###################################################################################

"WHERE DID HE GO? AND WHERE DID THE MIRACULOUS GO?" Hawkmoth bellowed, upon finding that the silver ring that he had dropped and left unattended for a mere two seconds was gone, and Chat No-his son, along with it. "NO NO NO! HE'LL DIE!"

The Trapper appeared out of nowhere, looking very confused at his master's outburst. "What's wrong, master?"

"You! Imbecile! You let him escape! You are dismissed, worthless akuma!" he lifted his cane and an akuma flew out of the Trapper's gun, pure white. The camouflage clad man fell to his knees, rubbing his head.

"Wha-what? Where am I?" he looked around. The first thing he saw was a furious looking man dressed in an almost comical black and purple suit, with an all-black mask over his head and a brooch on his jacket.

"GET OUT!" the man yelled. The man, Blake, stumbled for the nearest door that looked to be an exit and ran. Hawkmoth retreated into his dark room, the one that he had kept Chat Noir- Adrien- a prisoner in at first. To his utter delight, he found the butterfly window opening. A new victim for his akuma! Something that could help him find his son and bring him back for good!

############################################################################################################################################################

"Adopted?" her mouth dropped open. Her mother and father looked at her with love in their eyes and nodded.

"Yes, Macy. You see, we couldn't have children, so we adopted. We found you when you were a baby. We love you sweetheart! You've always been OUR child!" her mother offered, pulling her daughter in for a hug. Macy jerked out of her arms.

"WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME? YOU WERE GOING TO WAIT UNTIL I FOUND OUT THROUGH CHLOE BOURGEOIS? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T TRUST ME ENOUGH TO TELL ME!" Macy screamed at them. She rushed out the door, crying.

"Honey, come back! We didn't want to make you upset!" her mother called after her, standing up. Macy's father put his hand on his wife's arm.

"It's okay. She's right, we should have told her sooner before that school bully used it to make fun of her. She'll come back, and then we can apologize. She needs time alone," he suggested. His wife nodded and hugged him, sighing heavily.

Meanwhile, Macy was running along the edge of the Seine, tears streaming down her face. " _It was all a lie,_ " she thought. " _They lied to me my entire life! I wish I'd never been adopted by them! I just want to forget everything about them and their lies!_ " She slumped down against a wall. She didn't notice the black butterfly fluttering towards her locket, which contained a picture of her and her parents.

"Ms. Amnesia, I am Hawkmoth. I can give you the power to make yourself forget about those who hurt you with their lies. But I need a small favor in return. I too, am having family problems. I need you to find Chat Noir or Adrien Agreste, whichever you find first. Wipe his memory, and bring him to me," a voice said in Macy's mind. She stood up, grinning slyly.

"We have a deal!" she cackled. Black light engulfed her as she transformed into a villain. She wielded giant chains, and if they hit you, your memory was completely erased. She laughed as she headed across the rooftops, searching for both blonde haired boys. She wondered which one she would find first, and be able to wipe his memory of the pain.

############################################################################################################################################################

Tikki was happily munching on cookies and watching Marinette struggle with a needle and some blue fabric when it happened. At first she was shocked, but then she squeaked in joy. Plagg was trying to communicate with her again! But this time, Chat must be de-transformed because it worked.

"T-T-Tikki," she heard him groan in her mind. She set down the cookie immediately and focused all her energy on the communication.

"Plagg, what's wrong? I've been trying to contact you for days! What's wrong with Chat Noir? He kidnapped Adrien Agre-"

"T-T-Tikki," Plagg repeated. "C-can't explain. T-t-tell Ladybug to c-c-come t-to the Agreste m-m-mansion."

And then the connection died.

Tikki wasted no time. She right up into Marinette's line of vision, blocking her view from her work. "Tikki, what's wrong?" the girl asked.

"Plagg just communicated with me. He sounded like he was in terrible condition. He didn't have time to explain before the connection gave out, but you need to transform and go to the Agreste mansion!" Tikki squeaked.

"What? But what if it's a trap?" Marinette asked, looking up. Then she shook her head. "Never mind, we'll risk it to save Adrien! Tikki, spots on!" She transformed into Ladybug and leapt across the rooftops. Her mind was racing.

What would she find when she got there?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, there you have it. Next chapter we have the big moment we've all been waiting for, Chat and Ladybug interaction! But of course, nothing can go right and we might have a certain mind erasing akuma crashing the party.
> 
> Sayuri and I wish you a good day! Review if you feel so inspired. We love hearing from you!


	12. Search and Ye Shall Find

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I typed this pretty fast, ignore those little typos I'm sure are in here ;)

 

****Chapter 12: Search And Ye Shall Find** **

Ladybug raced across the rooftops, running as fast as her legs would take her. She could hear Tikki in her mind, telling her to slow down and be more careful. She didn't care. She was blindly rushing towards the Agreste mansion, misplacing her feet and stumbling occasionally. It was probably only her good luck that kept her from being seriously hurt.

" _Ladybug! You're going to hurt yourself_!" Tikki reprimanded the red and black clad heroine.

"I'm sorry Tikki, but what if Chat's going to hurt Adrien!" Ladybug answered out loud, flinging her yoyo at a fire escape and using it to swing to the next rooftop.

" _You won't be able to help him if you have a broken leg!_ " the sensible kwami reminded her. Ladybug ground her teeth together, but relented and slowed her speed.

"Okay, okay," she muttered. She hopped over the last couple of rooftops, and finally, to her sheer relief, she could see the very top of the Agreste mansion in the distance. "Nearly there!"

Ladybug tossed her yoyo a few more times, and then landed squarely on top of the mansion. It had a huge roof, due to the fact that the mansion was HUGE. She looked around. There was no one here, and no sign of anything strange, suspicious, trap-like, or anything else.

Suddenly, a rooftop door slammed open and a man that she immediately recognized as The Trapper bolted out, slamming the door behind him. Ladybug was on him in an instant. She tackled him to the ground, slamming her knee into his gut and then twisting his arm and forcing him to land on his stomach and stay there.

"Where is he?" she hissed angrily, twisting his arm perhaps _slightly_ more than necessary.

"I don't know what you mean!" The Trapper answered in a slightly gruff voice.

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" she practically yelled into his ear. The man trembled beneath her.

" _Ladybug, pay attention to him! It doesn't sound like he's lying_!" Tikki called in her mind. " _I know you're angry but you need to slow down and examine the facts_!"

"I'm not lying! Please! I can't remember anything! One moment I was angry because some park rangers arrested my father, and the next minute some crazy guy in a purple suit was yelling at me, and then you attack me!" the man sounded confused and desperate. Ladybug took in a deep breath, exhaled, and released him.

"Hawkmoth," she muttered. Of course he would have something to do with all of this! She should have known!

"Hawk what?" the man asked. "Hey, you're Ladybug!"

"Thank you, Sherlock," she responded. She instantly bit her tongue in regret. She had been doing that a lot lately. Why did she always get sarcastic when she was emotional...? "I need you to try and remember what happened to you! Please! Anything!" she begged.

"Um, everything is kinda blurry and mixed up... Like I could see what was happening, but I couldn't remember it. Let me think... there was...a boy! Yes, a boy!" the man announced triumphantly. Ladybug's breath hitched in anticipation.

"Was he blonde?" she asked. The camo man thought about it.

"Yes," he decided.

"Did he have green eyes?" she asked, giddy with happiness. Had she finally found him Adrien?!

The ex-akuma strained his memory, turning the blurriness over on his mind. He remembered something. It was dark... so dark he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. He was holding someone down... they were screaming in agony, writhing around. The person looked at him, their eyes connected. Those piercing green eyes... full of pain and hurt and un-returned love, filled with longing and hope and unexpressed dreams for the future, but now blinded by sheer agony. Those green eyes would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Yes," he whispered, answering the superheroine.

Ladybug nearly hugged the man. "Thank you so much for your help!" she thanked him. She noticed the look on his face, "And don't feel guilty for being akumatized. Sometimes negative emotions are too hard to control, and whatever Hawkmoth made you do after that wasn't your fault, it was his. Go home and stay safe."

The man nodded, and then smiled. "Thank you Ladybug, you sound...like my father," his voice choked. Ladybug frowned.

"You must love him, huh?"

"Of course. He is my father. I could never stop loving him, even though he's in jail because of a bad decision," the man nodded. Then he walked to the fancy fire escape to get off of the building. Ladybug took his words and stored them in her mind. She didn't know why, but she felt like they could be useful later. Then she stood and looked around.

"So Adrien is in the Agreste mansion somewhere? But how is that possible? Mr. Agreste's house in very high security, and I'm sure he's been taking every precaution to find his son. I doubt Chat Noir could keep him there unnoticed," she mused out loud.

" _Again with the Chat Noir theory_?" Tikki asked, beyond the point of correcting and pretty much just at a point of pure disdain.

"What am I supposed to think Tikki? There is no other explanation!" Ladybug growled. Tikki sighed. Even she had to admit, based on the evidence that they had, all arrows pointed at Chat Noir. But still, they needed to dig deeper and solve this stupid mystery!

" _What now?_ " Tikki asked.

"Now we go and pay Mr. Agreste a visit."

############################################################################################################################################################

Knock! Knock! Knock! "Mr. Agreste!" Natalie's muffled voice called. Hawkmoth left the corridor, whispering "Nooroo, wings in!" before entering his office. Natalie was waiting respectfully outside of the door, so the butterfly kwami had time to hide.

"Come in, Natalie," he said, his face returning to its nonchalant mask, and his voice becoming monotone. If there was one thing he was best at, it was hiding his emotions from people. "Come in," he beckoned, taking a drink from his coffee mug.

His assistant skittered into the room, clutching a clipboard to her side. "Ladybug is here to see you, sir."

He almost spit out his coffee in her face. He hastily swallowed. "Ladybug?" he asked, louder and sounding a little more shocked than he would have liked.

"Yes sir," Natalie responded immediately, determined to keep her face neutral. When her contract expired she was sooooo outta here! "She says she has some information regarding your son, Adrien, that you need to hear."

" _I wonder how much information and how accurate it is?_ " Did Ladybug know that Adrien was Chat Noir? Adrien/Chat didn't seem to know Ladybug's identity. That or he was a better liar than Gabriel himself was. He should be so proud. Gabriel almost snorted in amusement at that. Instead, he stood and straightened his tie, which was covering his butterfly brooch.

"Very well," he said, stepping out of his office and down the stairs, Natalie following at a distance. "Bonjour, Ladybug," he greeted. The superheroine looked up at him. He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes in hate. This was the young woman who had twisted his beloved son's mind, turning him from the obedient son he had always been into a weak minded rebel.

"Mr. Agreste, I need to speak to you. In private," Ladybug said, nodding her head in greeting. Mr. Agreste waved his hand and Natalie left the room.

"You have news about Adrien?" he tried to sound eager.

"Yes sir, I have reason to believe that he is somehow being held in this mansion!" she informed him.

"And what reasons do you have to believe this?" " _Keep your face impassive, keep your face impassive._ "

"Um, a confidential source," Ladybug said, attempting a smile. She was a terrible liar and she knew it. "We also have reason to believe that the criminal mastermind behind all of the akuma is hidden somewhere in your mansion!"

"Impossible!" Gabriel scoffed. " _Oh god, she knows!_ " "I think I would know if there were butterflies fluttering around all times of the day! My security cameras are very high tech!"

"I'm sure they are sir. Can you at least tell me if you've seen anything odd around lately?" Ladybug politely requested. Inside, she was furious. Why was this man so difficult?"

" _Maybe she doesn't know._.." A thought occurred to Hawkmoth. He might as well have Ladybug find his son. Then, once they were together, Ms. Amnesia would have a better chance of finding them. She could take out Ladybug, wipe Adrien's memory... he could see it all right before him. What a wonderful plan! He wasn't a criminal mastermind for nothing.

"On the contrary, I did see something I felt to be off last night," Gabriel mused, "A figure leaping across the rooftops, heading South. I had assumed it was nothing. We often see you and Chat Noir flying around Paris at night, protecting us." He did his best to give her what he considered a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Agreste! You've been very helpful!" Ladybug thanked him. She turned and dashed out the door. Gabriel Agreste smiled. This might be easier than he had thought.

############################################################################################################################################################

Ladybug dashed across the rooftops, heading in the opposite direction of the mansion from the direction she had arrived. She scanned the rooftops, cursing the fact that she didn't have night vision. Anything that was a dark shade, like Adrien's black t-shirt and jeans or Chat Noir's black cat suit, would be very hard to spot.

She almost missed it. A glint of gold, and then it was gone. Ladybug skidded to a halt, whipping around. Her eyes searched frantically over the rooftops, desperate to catch that flash of gold again. It could be nothing. But it could be everything.

She backtracked her steps. There! She barely missed it, but she finally recaptured the gold glint in her line of vision. She jumped onto the rooftop below her. She could barely make out the scene in front of her. A figure, sprawled across the rooftop. She took a step closer... and the moon disappeared behind the clouds.

She cursed loudly. How did it get so dark so fast? She walked slowly forward, to where she had seen the strange figure. Her foot hit something that was not as hard as the roof. She immediately knelt down and felt around. Her fingers ran against something wet. Something firm, yet soft, and very, very wet. She lifted her fingers to her nose and sniffed.

She recoiled, stumbling backwards and wiping her hand across the rooftop, as if it would rid her hand of what it had touched. Blood. Most definitely blood.

The moon burst forth from its cloudy cover, shedding its weak light upon the ground. Ladybug was panting. Her bluebell eyes swiveled down to who or what lay in front of her, not wanting to look, but desperate to figure out what was going on here. She took in a sharp breath, eyes widening to the point where they might bulge out of her head. Black leather, blonde hair, cat ears, belt tail? "Chat Noir?"

"M'lady?"

############################################################################################################################################################

" _Adrien! Adrien! ADRIEN!_ " That voice... it sounded familiar. But it was strange, echoey even. It didn't sound like he was hearing it through his ears. But that was impossible... It was almost like...it was in his head?

" _ADRIEN!_ " Another shout and the boy came partially to his senses. Plagg, of course! The kwami sounded weary and tired.

"Plaaaaaaagg," Chat managed to groan.

" _Shut up and save your strength! You hit your head on a pipe or something! Are you okay_?" Plagg asked, not even bothering to mask his concern.

"Yeah, I'm-"

" _Don't say it._ "

"Purr-fectly furr-ine!"

" _Argh_!"

Chat was aware of his labored breathing. His throbbing head. His burning side. He didn't care. He couldn't care. All he wanted to do was sleep. He had nowhere to go, and nowhere to be. He could just fall asleep and dream away this nightmare of reality...

" _Adrien, stay awake!_ " Plagg's annoyed little voice snapped him out of his stupor. " _Listen to me, we need to move! Can you stand_?"

"Nooooo," Chat groaned. Standing took effort. Talking took effort. Sleep, now that didn't take any effort at all. Sleep sounded nice...

" _You have to stay awake! I think you have a concussion!_ "

Oh, a concussion. Was that all? It could be fixed by sleep. Nothing could reach him when he was asleep. He would be free. Free of the pain, free of the heartache, free of that annoying little voice who kept urging him to stay awake.

" _Adrien! Adrien, are you listbsjdn bf? Hajfj sajdhjs sjdh!_ "

Words blurred together. He didn't understand them anymore. Adrien, Adrien. Who was Adrien? Sleep...

He was too exhausted and out of it to notice when something bumped his leg. Something was running across it. He was in so much pain that the extra sting upon contact didn't register. Sleep...

"Chat Noir?"

That voice! That wonderful voice! That wonderful, amazing, absolutely beautiful voice he would recognize anywhere in the world! It yanked him from the depth he was drowning in, pulled him back up to the light...

"M'lady?"


	13. Friends or Foes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! Lily and Sayuri here! This is more of an angsty emotional chapter, and the POV switches back and forth between Chat Noir and Ladybug. It may be slightly short, but you'll get a nice, long chapter next!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

 

****Chapter 13: Friends or Foes?** **

"M'lady?" Chat's voice sounded weak and hoarse. He didn't move, but she could hear his breathing was incredibly uneven. This didn't make sense. Not at all. How did Chat get so hurt? Did Hawkmoth find Chat at wherever he was holding Adrien? Where was Adrien? She knelt down and put her hand on his side, where blood was steadily flowing out from his suit. He flinched.

"Chat, what happened?" Ladybug was unable to stop the words from crossing her lips. Deep down she still cared very much for him, and she couldn't help it.

"Haw...Hawkma...Hawkmoth!" Chat Noir managed to gasp. Ladybug pressed her lips together in anger, forming a thin line. Her eyes narrowed.

"Does he have Adrien?" Ladybug demanded.

"Wha...what?"

"Don't play dumb, Chat Noir. You do realize that Adrien went missing the EXACT day you did! Do you think I'm an idiot? I know that fight upset you, but did you really have to kidnap him?" Ladybug yelled at him. She bit her lip. Enemy or not, Chat needed help or he would die. And he needed help fast.

"I...d-din't ki...kidnap...A...Adrien," Chat wheezed. "Hawkmoth...ca...captured...m-me. C-couldn't...get...away...F-finally...esca...escaped."

"What?" Ladybug's eyes widened, and her head began to spin. "Hawkmoth had you? But that note... You sent me a ransom note! It was your paw print! In Adrien's blood! Chat Noir, I can put two and two together, where is Adrien Agreste?"

############################################################################################################################################################

"What? Hjadhjakjs? Ghdjs note...Kjjshd your jadhb print! Ob Gdjhskj blood! Chat Noir, h chs jhy two abdjsh hwu together! Where jd Djgnjn Agreste?" Ladybug's voice registered in his head. She was talking to him. He could pick bits and pieces of her words out, but he could not make sense of what she was saying as a whole.

Note? Print? Blood? Oh yeah, that was why his leg hurt so badly. At least his glove wasn't covered with blood anymore. Although blood was beginning to seep through his magic suit. Plagg was weakening fast. Chat Noir? Agreste? Had she figured him out? Did she know who he was?

"WHY DID YOU DO IT?" Her voice rang so loudly in his head that he understood every word and heard every syllable clearly this time. He readied himself, took a breath, and tried to respond.

"Do...wha...what?" he gasped. Ladybug was probably re-furr-ing (I couldn't help it) to why he let himself get captured and made her fight without a shield for a while. Like it was his fault! He had hoped that she might care that he was about to die, but here she was, already yelling at him. If his ears hadn't already drooped as far as they could go, they would have been drooping now.

Why did it still hurt so badly? Not his body, which felt like utter hell at the moment. Why did his heart hurt so badly? It felt like someone was squeezing it, cutting off the blood flow. Pressuring it to the point of explosion. He took a deep breath. His eyes were closed. He wouldn't open them. Not just because it would make his pounding head unbearable, but because he couldn't bear to see the disappointment and rage in her pretty bluebell eyes.

############################################################################################################################################################

"WHY DID YOU DO IT?" she yelled at him.

"Do...wha...what?" the black clad boy gasped. Ladybug stopped short.

It should be obvious what she was talking about! Yet Chat seemed not to know. He was a terrible liar, at least when she was concerned. He couldn't lie to her to save his life... So why was he acting oblivious?

Ladybug felt her heart seize up. What if all of this time, Hawkmoth had been deceiving everyone? What if he had kidnapped Chat Noir, kidnapped Adrien, and then made it appear that Chat had kidnapped Adrien so that Ladybug would hate him?! But why? That theory made no more sense than the 'Chat Noir Kidnapped Adrien Agreste' theory.

"L-l-ladybug," Chat gasped. She immediately looked down, scooting closer. "I...I'm...so...sorry."

She finally let a sob escape her. She gathered her poor chaton in her arms, pulling him up so that his head rested upon her chest, arms wrapped around his stomach (oh dear god was that blood coating the left side of his suit)?

"No, kitty. It's me who should be sorry. I should never have doubted you! Oh my god Chat... this is all my fault!" Ladybug was sobbing now, shaking violently and hugging Chat like he would disappear any second. "I'm so, so, so, sorry!"

She buried her face in his blonde hair, crying her heart out. Why was she such a terrible person? She should have realized the set up sooner! That Hawkmoth was the true villain. Chat had loved her so much! She realized that now. And that only made her cry harder.

Ladybug, Marinette, whichever you wanted to call her, had made the biggest mistake of her life. Some might disagree, how was she supposed to have realized that Hawkmoth was behind all of this? The evidence she had did actually line up with her theory of Chat Noir being the kidnapper.

But the mistake she had made was doubting her partner. Doubting his goodness, doubting his honesty, doubting his kind heart, doubting his love. Doubting everything that made him, _him_! The passion and enjoyment of life that sparkled in his green eyes. Doubting the kindness of his heart, which was overflowing with love not only for her, but the citizens of Paris, whom he did not know but chose to sacrifice himself to protect!

She was despicable. She didn't deserve what she had. She had two loving parents, an amazing best friend, her normal friends at school. They all accepted her for who she was (excepting Chloe and Sabrina, but were they even capable of love)? She had such an easy life. But all she did was complain.

 _I_ can't balance being Ladybug and Marinette. _I_ messed up in front of a boy. _I_ am being made miserable by Chloe. _I_ have to put up with saving Chloe from akumas. _I_ have to babysit Manon sometimes. _I_ have to help at the bakery! _I, I, I, I, I, I, I_ !

Marinette had never really stopped to think about how easy her life was. She was well liked at school, had a supportive family whom she could lean upon and trust, very little hardships or responsibilities. She was so selfish!

She knew that there was no creature lower than her on the entire planet. She was such a despicable little bug. Why did Tikki pick her to be Ladybug? She wasn't worthy of this title! She made too many mistakes! She took too much forgranted! She should just give up being a super hero for good. She had never been a real hero...

############################################################################################################################################################

Chat didn't know what to do. Was Ladybug even going to help him get somewhere safe? Or was she going to let him bleed to death on this rooftop? Despite his uncertainty, he couldn't let himself let go. But now that he knew how she truly felt about him, he wanted to apologize.

He wanted to apologize for flirting with her. For chasing her, pursuing her. Getting in her way. For making all of those cat puns. For being obnoxious. For trying to make her stay after akuma attacks. For wanting to know her secret identity. For _everything_.

"L-l-ladybug," Chat Noir gasped. It took everything he had. "I...I'm...so...sorry."

And then he let himself sink back into his sleep chasing, pain wracked state. He didn't need to be strong anymore. And he had apologized. At least his last words would let her know that he understood. So if losing him was even slightly painful, she could feel better about it. Because honestly, she was still all that mattered.

He vaguely felt himself being shifted. He didn't really care. He felt warmer, too. Was this what dying felt like? He was aware of a noise. Someone crying. Or yelling. He couldn't tell. Probably Ladybug yelling. Oh well.

It made him feel better. He deserved to be yelled at. He was such an unbelievably pathetic human being. He let everyone push him around. He wanted love. Nobody would love him. Why would they? He couldn't do anything right. And he was always complaining.

He wanted his father's love. His father didn't love him. He wanted Ladybug's love. She didn't love him. Adrien Agreste was such a needy person. Why couldn't he just be strong and say he didn't need them? And here he was, heart crumbling at the thought that he wasn't needed by either of them. Ready to die because he cared too much.

"No, jsjhf. Igj jh sjn jsiohjs hs sjuid. Jhdhsbj uuyd you! Hg ad qod Chat...hsgdhg ahsg fault! Udb do ao mu al, sorry!"

Ladybug's words were running together again. He didn't care enough to listen. He picked up his name, along with the words 'fault' and 'sorry'. Did she not get it? Chat understood it was his fault! He was sorry! Now could he die in peace?

The pain was reaching a worsening point. Why was there contact on the knife wound on his side? It felt like someone was applying pressure. Too much pressure. It hurt so badly. His pain meter had gone far beyond what he thought he could handle. Chat realized that when you got hurt this badly, it all kind of flowed together in one steady stream of agony, corrupting your skin, muscles, and bones.

The pounding in his head was unbelievable. His eyelids felt heavy, like someone was holding them closed. He was sooo tired. If he could just fall alseep...

But the universe had other ideas. A sound exploded around him, so loud and terrifying that despite his screaming body his senses caused him to try and jerk into a sitting position. His eyes flew open, claws scrabbling at anything they could find. And then the building crumbled beneath him.

############################################################################################################################################################

"Chat...oh Chat..." Ladybug took in a shuddering breath. Her eyes were red and puffy beneath her mask. Tear tracks ran down her face. She paused a moment, collecting herself. Then reality dawned. "Omigod, I need to get you help!"

She ran her eyes over her partner. The blood was seeping through his suit in several places, the worst being his side. But was it a knife wound? A bullet wound? Some sort of magical wound she wouldn't even know about? His left leg was bleeding the second worst. She could tell that the rest of his body had minor gashes where the blood had not yet leaked entirely through his suit.

Ladybug flipped Chat over. His eyes were clamped shut, and his face was pale. He had a cut running from his jaw to his ear on the right side of his face. The blood had dried up, but that would make a nasty scar.

"Kitty..." she whispered. She tried to pick him up as gently as possible, but as soon as her arms tightened around his waist (she couldn't avoid his wound) he flinched and she felt so guilty she stopped. Ladybug could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again.

Suddenly, the chimney beside her exploded, sending bits of brick flying everywhere. Ladybug reeled backwards, dragging Chat with her. He jerked upwards, his claws digging into her arms and tearing at them as he struggled to move, his eyes opening slightly.

Ladybug held him tighter, looking around wildly. What had happened? She scanned the rooftop. Absolutely nothing. It was quiet now. Too quiet...

Whatever it was, they weren't safe here. And Chat was clawing her arms to death. She ripped them from his grasp, determinedly wrapped her arms around him again, and prepared to throw her yoyo and disappear over the nearest rooftop. She never got that far. The second she started to stand, the entire building collapsed beneath her. And she felt herself falling...

 


	14. Forgotten Already

**Chapter 14: Forgotten Already**

Ms. Amnesia headed across the rooftops. Chat Noir, or Adrien Agreste, whichever she found first. She knew Adrien Agreste, of course. He went to her school, even if he was a grade ahead of her, and besides, his face was plastered all over Paris. She also knew Chat Noir, too. He was Ladybug's partner, they were the superhero duo who worked together to beat akumas.

" _But they won't beat this one_ ," she thought as she walked across the rooftops.

Now, where to start? She supposed the Agreste mansion would be the obvious answer, considering that's where Adrien lived. She headed that way, using her chains to swing across the rooftops.

As she headed over there, she hit as many people as she could with her mind erasing chains. She smiled as she watched men, women, and children rubbing their heads in confusion and asking what their names were. All of those souls that didn't have to suffer anymore!

Suddenly, she heard a voice, whispering quietly.

"Chat...oh Chat...,"

Ms. Amnesia abruptly stopped in her tracks, sneaking closer to where the voice was coming from. The voice then resumed talking.

"Omigod, I need to get you help!"

Curiously, she peeked over the edge of the building surprised at what she saw.

Ladybug was leaning against a chimney, with a very badly hurt and bleeding Chat Noir in her arms.

This would be easy. All too easy.

Ms. Amnesia quietly descended down the side of the building and pulled a chain from her belt, aiming it and the main support system of the building. She let fly and backed up as the building began to crumble slowly.

######################################################################################################################################################################

The ground crumbled underneath Ladybug's feet. The concrete that had once supported her cracked and then broke apart, sending her falling, falling, falling. She grabbed blindly at Chat Noir, curling her arm around his waist (despite his grunt of pain) and then twisting their bodies so that she would land on the bottom with him on top of her.

The fall felt like forever, yet it also felt too fast to process, and her mind whirred in thousands of directions as she plummeted faster to the ground. Before she knew it, her fall was broken and her body slammed into more concrete. Her hip connected with the ground first, sending a jolt of pain throughout her body as her legs rebounded and pushed her more to the side. She twisted awkwardly, still attempting to protect Chat from the ground.

Her torso and head hit the rough slabs of crumbled cement at the same time. A wooden board jabbed into her back as she rolled off the slope, and she winced. Ladybug braved the pain, for she knew Chat, who was still in her arms, was suffering much worse trying to breathe through the smoke. Finally, she rolled onto the street, which was covered with tiny bits of debris, and the dust that arose was too thick to see through.

"Well well well, what have we here?" a high pitched feminine voice called through the dust. "Looks like the kitty cat is the first find!"

Ladybug gently pushed Chat off of her and scanned the area for the source of the voice.

Nothing.

Dust and fog were on all sides, thick as soup. The girly laugh resounded again through the fog, but it wasn't clear which way it was coming from. The darkness of the night didn't help either.

"Ladybug?" Chat called weakly.

She bent down, cradling him in her arms despite the red blood that rubbed onto her already red suit.

"Its okay, kitty, I'll get you out of here," she promised, brushing a stray blonde hair out of his eyes.

"No," he gasped, pushing her arms away. He was too weak to actually remove her arms from around him, but she complied with the gentle pressure, not sure if she was hurting him or not. "Just go," he managed to get out before he closed his eyes again.

"No, Chat Noir!" she hissed loudly. "I'm not leaving you again! Its my fault you're hurt and its sure as hell not going to be my fault if you die!"

"Hey, kitty kitty! Where are you, little kitty cat? I know you're here! I know you're hurt!" the voice cackled. "I can make you forget, kitty. I can make you forget all of your troubles! Your pain!"

Chat flinched, but didn't open his eyes or respond at all.

Ladybug stood abruptly after gently placing Chat on the ground. Her entire body protested the movement, but she stood firm.

"Who are you?" she yelled into the fog, clenching her fists.

"I am Ms. Amnesia!" the voice yelled back. "Nobody deserves to suffer! I can make them forget everything and everyone who's ever hurt them!"

"Another akuma," Ladybug muttered underneath her breath. She spun around, trying to lay her eyes on the girl.

Suddenly, something whistled past her.

The sixth sense that she had built up after two years of being a superhero was all that saved her. She ducked, and something flew over her head. She whipped around.

Still nothing but fog surrounded her. It was dark, probably the middle of the night at this point.

"Come on, little bug. Wouldn't it be nice to forget your worries? Everything that troubles you will fade away!" Ms. Amnesia offered.

"No way!" Ladybug called back, stalling for time as she pulled out her yoyo.

"You know what? It's the cat I want, not you. Let's make a deal. You hand him over, and I let you walk away with memory of who you are," Ms. Amnesia drawled, her voice ringing through the night.

Ladybug hated that she couldn't see her right now, or else that stupid girl would've gotten the beating of her life.

"I'd never give him to you!" she yelled definantly. She looked down at Chat.

The black-feline dressed superhero was curled up, both gloved hands clenched to his side to try and stop the blood that unceasingly flowed from his side.

"Ladybug," he whispered drowsily. "Just do it. Leave me."

Ladybug wanted to shake some sense into him, but there was no way she was going to do it when he was in this condition.

"I'm not leaving you, Noir," she promised.

"Aw, isn't that sweet. But I think you will leave him." Ms. Amnesia cackled. "Once he can't remember you anymore!"

That was the last straw. Ladybug could feel the anger building up inside her. "Stop hiding from me! Come out and fight like a lady!"

"As you wish!" Ms. Amnesia stepped out of the shadows, her black costume evident as to why she had been blending so easily, while Ladybug's red outfit was easy to see. Ms. Amnesia wielded two giant chains, which she spun around like nunchuks.

Ladybug spun her yoyo around and then leapt at Ms. Amnesia. The broken parts of the building that littered the sidewalk made it hard to head forward in a straight line, but provided excellent cover. For her and the enemy.

She leapt at Ms. Amnesia, aiming her yoyo at the girl's chest. Ms. Amnesia blocked it with a chain, whipping the other around to swipe Ladybug off of her feet. The black spotted heroine jumped over the chain and kicked Ms. Amnesia's arm. Ms. Amnesia grimaced but jumped backwards, slamming her chain down almost on top of Ladybug, who dodged at the last second, chain landing where she had been standing milliseconds earlier.

Both girls glared at one another, weapons spinning around like shields as they waited to see who would make the next move.

Finally, Ms. Amnesia lost patience and leapt at Ladybug, aiming both chains downward at Ladybug's head. Ladybug spun her yoyo over herself. The chains bounced harmlessly off the yoyo, but the impact sent her flying backwards into a wall.

Ladybug groaned and rubbed her head as she got to her feet and picked up her yoyo. She looked up to see Ms. Amnesia confidently walking towards Chat, who hadn't even noticed her at this point.

"Ready to forget, kitty cat?" Ms. Amnesia called, lifting a chain. Chat Noir whimpered.

And then Ladybug saw red.

With nothing but her emotions guiding her, she dashed across the ground, leapt over a giant piece of debris, swept around a ripped sofa, and then threw herself in front of the chain seconds before it hit her partner.

The contact of the chain upon her skin sent her rolling away from Chat as Ms. Amnesia backed up a few steps. She smiled.

Not exactly what I wanted, but this ought to be interesting, Ms. Amnesia thought to herself, and placed a hand on her hip cockily.

"No! You need to brainwash the boy!" Hawkmoth yelled in her head as his mask appeared around her face. "Although...get the girl to give you her earrings while you're at it." Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

Meanwhile, Ladybug stumbled backwards while her head started to buzz, before breaking out into an explosion of pain.

She squeezed her eyes shut, but the pounding only got worse and worse, overtaking whatever emotion she might've felt then. The pain was unbearable, and Ladybug grabbed her head in sheer desperation.

And then, all of a sudden, as quickly as it had come, the pounding was gone.

Ladybug hesitantly opened her eyes. Where was she? She looked down. She was wearing a red spandex suit covered with black spots. What? She looked ridiculous! And she could feel a mask over her face. Why was she wearing a mask? What had she been doing here? What was her name?

"Where am I?" she asked, deciding to start with the first question to anyone who would listen. She looked around. Broken furniture lay everywhere, strewn among piles of rubble. "And what happened here?"

"Wait, you don't remember anything?" an innocent girly voice asked. She looked up and saw a girl all dressed in black, holding two golden chains.

"No..." she answered. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ms. Am- I'm Amy!" the girl, Amy, introduced herself. "And your name is Ladybug! We are a crime fighting duo!"

"What?" she, Ladybug apparently, gasped. She looked down and saw a boy lying on the ground, curled up and bleeding. He was wearing all black and he had cat ears and a tail. He was wearing a mask as well. "Who is he?"

"This is our arch-nemesis! He put a pair of earrings on you to make you forget who you are! I took care of him, but you need to pull those off!"

Ladybug nodded, reaching for her earrings. She truly didn't remember anything. Clearly, these earrings were doing their job and she needed to get them off right now!

"Marinette, don't!" a voice called out.

She froze.

"Who said that?" Ladybug asked.

Amy just cocked her head in confusion.

"Who said what? Did he rig them to tell you not to take them off?"

"Ladybug, your real name is Marinette! That boy is your partner! Amy is a villain called Ms. Amnesia who brainwashed you! She's trying to get you to take off your earrings! Those are what give you your powers! I'm Tikki, remember, your kwami!" The voice turned high-pitched in desperation.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Ladybug screeched, putting her hands over her ears.

"Pull them off and the voice will stop," Amy suggested to her. Ladybug nodded firmly and reached for her earrings. Suddenly, something black knocked into her. She fell backwards with a screech, and few drops of blood fell onto her face. And then came lips smashing onto hers.

######################################################################################################################################################################

Chat Noir could do nothing as he watched the battle unfold. Well, in his weakened state, more like heard the battle unfold. He wisely kept his eyes shut, knowing that opening them, even though it was dark, would allow the light to make his migraine even worse.

He was a little disoriented. Okay, maybe a lot disoriented. Images kept flashing through his mind, but he couldn't tell if they were reality, dreams, or memories. He kept reminding himself to focus.

Where was he again? He looked around. Well, that was pretty obvious, as he was strewn on the ground in a confused heap. And how did he get here?

Chat had been terrified when the ground disappeared from underneath him. But he was strangely reassured when an arm had wrapped itself around his waist and pulled him close. Despite the pain, he never wanted that arm to let go. Call it needy cat syndrome. Call it lack of love and now needing some. Call it whatever you wished, he was feeling it.

But the ground had interrupted the comfort. Surprisingly, the impact wasn't that bad. His landing had felt oddly soft, which was odd, because what kind of ground (with the exception of castles built of clouds) was soft?

It was then he heard a female voice. It was high pitched and hurt his ears. He couldn't make out what the girl was saying, her voice was like an annoying whistle impaling his skull, yet he listened harder.

"Hey, kitty kitty! Where are you, little kitty cat? I know you're here! I know you're hurt! I can make you forget, kitty. I can make you forget all of your troubles! Your pain!"

Chat involuntarily flinched. A tempting offer, but no thanks. He would find new ways to suffer even if he did forget everything. It was an Agreste thing. At least right now he knew why he was suffering.

"You know what? It's the cat I want, not you. Let's make a deal. You hand him over, and I let you walk away with memory of who you are." The screeching voice rang in his head.

"I'd never give him to you!" He heard Ladybug yell.

His heart swelled. She had stood up for him again. It was probably all part of the job description, but still...it made him feel better. And worse. She needed to get out of here, to save herself. He was going to die anyway.

"Ladybug," he whispered drowsily. "Just do it. Leave me."

"I'm not leaving you, Noir," she shot back.

Wait, what? He forced his eyes opened his eyes a bit.

Ladybug was fighting the new villain. She was flung back into a wall. The villain was walking over to him, a smirk leering on her face.

"Ready to forget, kitty cat?"

Chat Noir whimpered and tried to scramble away, but his body wouldn't let him move. He just lay there, helpless, as she got closer and closer. The girl raised a golden chain above her head, aiming towards him.

He squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impact.

It never came. He heard a 'whumph' sound. His eyes snapped open.

Ladybug rolled over and rubbed her head, her face contorting in pain. Suddenly, she stood looked confused, staring at him in perplexion.

"Where am I?"

Chat's blood ran cold. No! Ladybug had taken the hit for him! No, no, no, no, NO!

His head was spinning. Why would she do that? Why did she do that?

He heard Ladybug talking, and the villain talking back. His head spun. She didn't know where she was! She thought he was the bad guy! She was going to take off her earrings!

Chat Noir didn't think. He couldn't think. He had to stop her!

He dragged himself up off of the ground, forcing his body to move. He pounced, knocking his lady over.

Adrenaline fueling his every move, Chat cut to the chase and smashed his lips onto Ladybug's.


	15. Remember Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I just completely finished this fic two days ago. The entire completed version of this is posted on both Fanfiction.net and Wattpad under the same name and my same username. I'm posting what I can on here, but it takes a while to copy and paste and edit and etc. I'll see what I can do.

**Chapter 15: Remember Me?**

Adrenaline fueling his every move, Chat cut to the chase and smashed his lips onto Ladybug's.

It was really just a quick brush of his lips on hers, because she instantly reeled backwards, floundering about and leaving to him to stumble and fall at her feet.

"Ladybug, end him!" he heard Ms. Amnesia scream in the background as he bit the dust. Ladybug's hand was already on her yoyo, mid-process of taking it out. "End this and you'll be safe!"

Chat looked up, fully prepared to watch her whip out her yoyo and aim it at his head. Instead, both of Ladybug's hands flew to her lips. She backed up a few steps, walking stiffly like she was a robot. Her hands twitched and her body jerked, like she was fighting for control of herself.

"Ch-chat?" she stammered, eyes widening. He let himself get hopeful for a second as she turned to Ms. Amnesia, but then her eyes narrowed again and she whipped around, ready to break his skull with her yoyo. Her hand flew up into the air, ready to deliver the blow.

But then her arm spazzed and she dropped the yoyo, falling to her knees.

"Lady...bug..." Chat groaned. As she looked up, her eyes were as blue as ever, and they looked upon him with horror at what she had almost done.

"No! Ladybug, it's the earrings! Pull them off quickly!" Ms. Amnesia called. Ladybug's eyes narrowed and turned red before she reclaimed her yoyo and stood.

" _Marinette, remember who you are! She's lying to you_!" the voice again came into Ladybug's mind. She stopped short.

And so it continued for several minutes. Tikki would yell at Ladybug, and she would stop. Ms. Amnesia would throw out empty promises and she continued towards Chat. Her body jerked around awkwardly, torn between two masters. Her eyes flickered back and forth between red and blue.

Chat Noir felt the drowsiness try to reclaim him, but he fought to stay awake. He had no idea what to do now. Ladybug didn't seem to be regaining any ground, and Ms. Amnesia just got angrier and angrier at her failed attempts to control the girl.

"Ladybug, darling. Try and resist! Take off the earrings and this will all stop!" Ms. Amnesia called. Ladybug nodded jerkily and reached up with shaking hands to pull of her earrings.

" _NO!_ " Tikki shrieked.

"NO!" Chat Noir gasped. "Ladybug, stop!"

The red and black spotted girl froze again. Chat realized that talking to her helped, so he continued.

"Ladybug, you shouldn't do that! Those earrings give you the power to save people! You love Paris and you love helping the people in it! Remember?"

Ladybug looked paralyzed. She didn't move a muscle from where she had frozen. Her eyes stared straight ahead into the night, void of any emotion. But they were more blue than red. That was the only sign he had that this might work.

"Remember the last patrol we went on a few weeks ago before this mess happened? We saved a little girl from being mugged! She hugged you, Ladybug. She loved you! And so many people in Paris love you too! You keep them safe. You've earned everyone's respect! Don't give them a reason to doubt you!"

She stood stock still, as if she was a statue.

"How about Alya, that crazy reporter girl? I can't believe the amount of times we've had to save her, because she came too close to the akuma. She came so close and risked her life to see you! To try and let the world see you! You were her idol!"

Chat Noir didn't notice Alya, her phone camera on night-vision mode, standing a couple hundred feet away from the scene. The reporter wiped her eyes on her sleeve, brushing a few stray tears away.

"And how about Chloe? Even the most rude, self-centered, cold hearted creature on the planet couldn't help but admire you!" Chat kept at it. Ladybug's right hand twitched.

"Ladybug, Paris needs you! And...I need you!" he didn't care about the tears. He didn't even try to hold them back. They were streaming down his face. "I need you back! You are the only one who can save the day! You're the only one who can purify the akuma! You're the hero, Ladybug. You're Paris' hero. You're my hero."

Ladybug's mouth opened, as if she was trying to say something, but then it snapped shut again.

"And I don't care if you break free and then leave me. I don't care if you end this and then I never see you again! I just want you to be happy! You deserve nothing but the best, my lady. And you won't get it this way! You're better than this! You're the most kind, talented, amazing, generous, and loving person on the planet, and I-"

Chat choked on his own tears. Ladybug's whole body was now trembling. Her face twisting back and forth between emotions. Her hands were balled up into fists.

"Ladybug, I... I love you!" Chat called to her. But his speech had taken up what little energy he had left. His super suit was really the only thing keeping him alive at this point. When he moved to kiss Ladybug, it had taken whatever amount of physical strength he had left. His eyes slid shut again, head lolling back. His breaths came in short, infrequent gasps.

Chat Noir didn't see Ladybug's legs give out. He didn't see her collapse onto the ground, her eyes the pretty bluebell color he loved. He didn't see her reach for her yoyo. He didn't see Ms. Amnesia's mouth drop open in shock. Chat would have been proud of the way that Ladybug stood resolutely, ready to face the akumatized villain even after waging a mental war with herself.

Chat Noir also didn't hear the annoying _beep, beep, beep_ that signaled he only had five more minutes to his transformation. Plagg couldn't hold out any longer.

Ladybug lunged towards Ms. Amnesia, who was forced to dodge. She whipped out her chains and spun them around, only to have both of them knocked from her hands by Ladybug's yoyo. She whipped around, but her reflexes weren't good enough to block the kick that Ladybug aimed at her chest.

Ms. Amnesia flew backwards, slamming against the wall. Ladybug walked up to her, her mouth set in a determined line, and grabbed the locket around Ms. Amnesia's neck, jerking backwards and snapping the chain in one pull.

Then Ladybug threw the locket onto the ground, smashing it with perhaps more force than necessary. The metal broke apart and the little black butterfly flew out and headed for the sky, determined to make its escape. Ladybug's yoyo caught it almost immediately.

"No more evil doing for you, little akuma." Ladybug's normally confident voice sounded weary. "I'm freeing you from evil!" She opened he yoyo and released the white butterfly into the air. "Bye bye, little butterfly," she called after it.

"Where am I?" Macy groaned and rubbed her head. Ladybug had to remind herself that this girl wasn't to blame for that fight, and she did not deserve to have her guts splattered against the wall. But by god, someone needed to pay! And that someone was Hawkmoth...

The sound of police sirens rang through the night. Looks like the police had finally decided to show up, an hour after they were most needed. Typical. Ladybug was snapped out of her thoughts as a flash of green pierced the air. Crap! Chat Noir!

Ladybug didn't care about their secret identities anymore. Her partner was about to die. There was no freaking way she was going to worry about anything right now other than keeping him alive! Miraculous Cleanse could wait. She spun around, ready to run to his side and get him help. But upon sight of his face, she froze.

############################################################################################################################################################

Alya had shown up at the fight just after Ladybug had been taken over by Ms. Amnesia. She lived a few blocks away from the building that had crumbled, so she had definitely heard it as it fell. She ran all the way there, even if it turned out to be nothing. What could she say, a journalist had to investigate everything!'

She was unable to work her way through the piles of rubble that completely covered the street, save for a few places,. She knelt down behind a sizable pile of rubble, so she would have a shield from whatever was on the other side (she was crazy brave, but not stupid brave).

Whipping out her phone, Alya switched it to night vision to get the best possible footage. Then, pushing the bridge of her glasses up her nose, she peeked over the top of her barricade. What she saw shocked her to pieces.

Ladybug was jerking around, looking like a confused zombie. A girl dressed in black and gold hovered over her, looking annoyed and smug all at the same time. But what really came as a shock was that a broken and bleeding Chat Noir was lying on the ground a few feet away from Ladybug. Where the heck did he come from?

She tried to ignore the pang of hate that rang through her. That dirty double crossing cat! But she was more focused on Ladybug than anything else. The superheroine's eyes kept changing color, from her normal blue to dark red. She was stumbling about, reaching for her yoyo and then dropping it. What was going on?

Alya almost dropped her phone when Chat Noir suddenly gathered his feet underneath him, and then lunged unsteadily at Ladybug, brushing his lips on hers before sinking to his knees. She almost forgot that Chat was the enemy as her mind screamed "OMIGOD LADYNOIR IS A REALITY!"

Ladybug jerked backwards and then completely froze. Chat was talking to her, but Alya was too far away to hear what he was saying. She crept a bit closer, listening intently.

"Remember the last patrol we went on a few weeks ago before this mess happened? We saved a little girl from being mugged! She hugged you, Ladybug. She loved you! And so many people in Paris love you too! You keep them safe. You've earned everyone's respect! Don't give them a reason to doubt you!"

Alya wrinkled her nose, zooming her camera in closer. Doubt Ladybug? Never!

"How about Alya, that crazy reporter girl? (Alya almost snorted there) I can't believe the amount of times we've had to save her, because she came too close to the akuma. She came so close and risked her life to see you! To try and let the world see you! You were her idol!"

Alya wiped away a few tears on her sleeve. Her phone lowered slightly. Ladybug...what was she doing? She glanced back up at the akuma, who seemed to be locked in deep concentration, staring at Ladybug, like she was trying to...control her? Everything finally clicked into place and Alya realized what was going on. Though while her mind was racing, she had missed Chat's next few sentences. She went back to paying attention.

"And I don't care if you break free and then leave me. I don't care if you end this and then I never see you again! I just want you to be happy! You deserve nothing but the best, my lady. And you won't get it this way! You're better than this! You're the most kind, talented, amazing, generous, and loving person on the planet, and I-"

Alya didn't fail to notice the tears streaming down Chat's face, and how Ladybug was shaking.

"Ladybug, I... I love you!"

And then Chat Noir went limp. And his ring beeped.

Alya dropped her phone as Ladybug collapsed. She stood up, ready to charge in and help if she had to! But Ladybug didn't need any help. To Alya's relief (and shock) Ladybug rose and then proceeded to kick the crap out of the akumatized girl, snatching away what must be the akmuatized object and breaking it.

The butterfly was caught, cleansed, and released. The girl returned to normal. The building didn't though, because Ladybug hadn't used Miraculous Cleanse yet. Alya stood and was about to run to Ladybug when there was a sudden, green flash of light. Alya immediately closed her eyes.

" _Oh my god... oh my god the story I've been chasing for TWO YEARS is RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME_!" Alya screamed to herself in her head. She wanted so badly to open her eyes. To see who it was! This was what she had dreamed about for YEARS!

But she couldn't do it. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. Alya was frustrated. She had always wanted find out Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities. It had been her mission for so ridiculously long. So WHY couldn't she bring herself to OPEN HER EYES?

############################################################################################################################################################

Ladybug broke out of her trance and ran to her partner's side, flinging herself onto her knees and cradling his head in her lap. Chat-no-Adrien was hardly breathing. Ladybug took in a deep breath. No time to have a mental breakdown now!

" _Adrien Agreste has been flirting with me for how long now_?" NO! She couldn't allow herself to thing about that right now. She took in a sharp breath, stood, and tossed her yoyo in the air. "Lucky Charm!"

She had hoped for a first aid kit or some gauze or something. Anything to stop him from losing blood! What she got was a stretcher. Perfect! She could move him without hurting him now! Get him somewhere safe! She couldn't take him to the hospital, for fear his secret identity would no longer remain a secret. But wait, she couldn't take him anywhere without someone else to help her with the stretcher!

Ladybug looked up, and she thanked every god who would listen along with her amazing luck that Alya was standing a few yards away, eyes shut and camera on the ground.

"Alya!" she screamed. The red head's eyes snapped open. They widened at the sight of the boy in Ladybug's arms. "Please help me!"

Alya came to her senses and ran to Ladybug's side. The girls lifted Adrien into the stretcher, each taking an end. Now they just had to get him somewhere safe and stop him from dying. His life was in their hands.


	16. They Need a Hero

 

****Chapter 16: They Need a Hero** **

Ladybug scooped up the unconscious cat kwami from where he lay on the ground and shoved him into her pocket. She could take him to that weird vet dude later. Right now she had to stop Adrien from dying.

"What do we do?" Ladybug was shaking so badly she could barely hold the stretcher. Tears were streaming down her face as she sobbed. She and Alya made their way through the rubble, determined to get Adrien away from the scene, lest the cops put two and two together and figure out that he is Chat Noir.

"We need to get him away from the media. My house is a few blocks away, and my parents and siblings are all asleep. We have a suture kit and a lot of first aid stuff!" Alya offered. Ladybug nodded.

"Lead the way," she sniffed. They walked as fast as they could, not wanting to jog so they wouldn't jostle Adrien too much. They arrived at Alya's house in under eight minutes. Alya fumbled, trying to put the key in the lock upside down. She righted it and unlocked the door. Both girls were panicking. Adrien Agreste's life was now in their hands, and their hands alone. If he died, it would be their fault. And neither one of them, for separate reasons, could bare to lose him.

"Up here!" Alya instructed, putting her finger to her lips to signal that they had to be quiet. Ladybug shifted her grip on the stretcher as the girls charged upstairs, turning left into Alya's room. "Get him on my bed, I'll get the supplies!"

Ladybug slid her arms around Adrien, lifting him bridal style and laying him gently on the bed. His face was as white as paper. She checked his pulse again. She could barely find it at first, and it was so faint she wasn't quite sure if it was actually there, or she was just hoping it was. But his chest was barely rising and lowering, so she knew it was there.

"Here we go," Alya dumped an armload of stuff on the floor. Ladybug nodded and turned to Adrien. His blood was staining Alya's sheets. She hesitantly lifted his shirt and immediately blanched, letting the blood soaked fabric flutter back down.

"Do we need to cauterize it?" Ladybug asked in a shaky voice. If Alya was surprised or disappointed by the lack of bravery and knowledge on Ladybug's part, she didn't show it.

"That won't do much good at this point. We need to clean it off as best we can, and then stitch it shut and wrap it tightly," Alya instructed.

"Do you know how to stitch?" Ladybug asked, using a towel to wipe away a lot of the excess blood around Adrien's stomach.

"No. But my best friend is really handy with a needle. She doesn't live too far and she can keep a secret. I can call her-"

"NO!" Ladybug blurted out, startling Alya, who hissed and put a finger to her lips, nodding towards the closed door. "I mean, no, I can do it." She offered a weak smile. Alya shrugged and handed her the needle and thread she had just prepared. Then the red head took the towel from Ladybug's hand, picked up some disinfectant, and went to work on Adrien's stomach wound, trying not to gag from the sickening stench of blood.

Ladybug took in a deep breath, trying to calm her shaking hands. She could do this. She'd sewn a million shirts, skirts, dresses, etc. This couldn't be too different, could it? "Y _es, it could. This is a person. This is my partner! And my school cru_ -" She cut herself off from thinking about it.

"Okay, it's as clean and blood free as it's gonna get!" Alya said, clearly grimacing. Ladybug nodded and bent over Adrien's exposed stomach. Her hands were still shaking.

" _Just shove the needle in, loop it around, pull it out. Next stitch_." She closed her eyes, steadied herself, and plunged the needle into his skin.

The blood continuously coming out didn't help, along with Alya peering over her shoulder, offering her advice, or telling her to get the stitches closer together. Eventually, the young reporter started working on the gash on Adrien's leg, cleaning it and disinfecting it.

"Done." Ladybug slumped down against the bed. The stitches on Adrien's stomach were not in a straight line, but it was the best an amateur could do on such short term notice. And it would hold.

Alya and Ladybug switched places, Alya cleaned up around the stitch job and began tightly winding gauze around Adrien's stomach, while Ladybug began stitching up his leg. When she was about halfway through, her earrings let out a high pitched ' _Beep, beep, beep_!'

Ladybug and Alya immediately looked at each other. Ladybug sighed. Tikki had held out extra long, but she couldn't do it anymore.

"Your earrings," Alya whispered.

"I know," Ladybug said simply, continuing to stitch Adrien as fast as she could.

"But your secret identity..."

"Alya, you already know his identity. You could do enough damage to the media and us if you released that information. It doesn't really matter if you know mine too. Besides, Alya, I trust you. I just don't want you to hate me for this."

"Hate you for what?" Alya asked, shocked. "Ladybug, I could never hate you!"

"I'm not so sure..." Ladybug mumbled, finishing another stitch.

"What do you mean?" Alya asked.

"In two minutes, you'll find out for yourself," Ladybug sighed. _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Ladybug had just completed the last stitch and wiped the blood off of her hands when her transformation let out. A flash of pink filled the room. Tikki flew down to where Ladybug had set Plagg on Alya's dresser, nudging him.

Alya watched as Ladybug's red suit disappeared, turning into...pink pants. Alya's eyes headed upwards. White shirt, black jacket. It couldn't be! Finally, she lifted her head all the way and stared at the face of her best friend. "Marinette?"

"I'm sorry, Alya," Marinette sniffed. "I-I couldn't tell you..."

"Mari, it's okay," Alya promised. She felt a little bit of anger that her friend had been hiding this from her, listening to her fangirl and rant and all the time she had been Ladybug! "But you just wanted to stop something like this from happening!" Alya gestured to Adrien.

"But it happened anyway!" Marinette sobbed. "And I blamed Chat when Adrien disappeared! I hated him for it! And it was him all along!" Marinette finally let herself break, hugging Alya for all she was worth and crying her heart out. Alya stroked her best friend's hair.

"I know, Mari, I know," Alya cooed. "But let's finish getting him cleaned up, okay? That wrist looks bad." Mari nodded, wiping her tears on her sleeve and then taking out a tissue and blowing her nose.

The girls went to work in silence. Alya wrapped Adrien's wrist and splinted it. Then she put ice on it. Marinette started to put bandages on Adrien's smaller scratches, especially the one on his face. That would leave a scar that would stay there forever. Both girls' minds were racing.

" _Omigosh, Marinette was Ladybug. My best friend was the superhero I've been chasing for two years now! How did I not see it before? Same hair, same eyes, same height. She always made up some dumb excuse for her absence when akumas attacked. And all of those times she was late for school! Oh, I am so stupid!_

" _And Adrien is Chat Noir! Oh gosh, that also makes so much sense! It was so obvious! Why, oh why did I never see it? And Chat has a crush on Ladybug, who is Marinette, who has a crush on Adrien, who is Chat Noir! This would be perfect! But...only if Adrien forgives Marinette. And if Marinette forgives herself. And if Adrien pulls through this..._ " Alya sighed as she glanced back down at the blonde haired boy. He had lost so much blood!

Meanwhile, Marinette's mind was in a much worse place than Alya's. " _Chat Noir was Adrien all along! I blamed Chat for Adrien's disappearance. I hated him for it! I swore we would never see him again! I swore I would never forgive him!_

 _"_ _But it was him all along. That cheerful, pun loving kitty was Adrien Agreste the whole time! How could I have ever doubted Chat? He was always the better of the two of us. He braved through everything while all I did was complain and give up. I'm such a despicable person. He doesn't deserve me_!"

"Mari, he lost too much blood. We need to get him some more!" Alya instructed. Marinette snapped out of her thoughts, guilt still pounding through her, closing in from all sides.

"But we don't know his blood type!" Suddenly, Alya's cell phone started ringing. She hastily tried to silence it before someone woke up. She answered it, confused as to why someone was calling her at this time.

"Hello?" a gruff voice said on the other side.

"Who are you?" Alya asked.

"A friend. I just want to know if Adrien is okay."

"What? What does Adrien have to do with me? How would I know if he's okay? Didn't he go missing several days ago?" Alya laughed nervously.

"I know Adrien is Chat Noir, and I saw you leaving the scene with Ladybug. Please, if there is anything I can offer you, I will do it," the mysterious man said.

"Um, no thanks. Unless you just happen to know his blood type," Alya answered sarcastically.

"Type B." And then the man hung up. Alya stood there, shocked.

"Well, that solves that problem. He's Type B," Alya informed her, ignoring Marinette's questions about who that was and how he knew.

"Well, where do we get it from?"

"Um, the hospital!" Alya immediately responded.

"We can't just go there and say, 'Hey, Chat Noir is hurt and I need a blood transfusion, but I can't let you help me even if I do look like an unqualified teenage girl, which I am, because you can't know Chat's secret identity but I know his secret identity because I'm Ladybug'!" Marinette protested.

"But I'm sure they wouldn't turn down a superhero if she asked!" Tikki suggested, speaking for the first time.

"Holy crap what is that?" Alya screeched, jumping backwards. It was Marinette's turn to shush Alya. It was a miracle no one in her family had woken up yet. It was probably around 5:00am.

"Alya, this is Tikki. She's a kwami, and she's the one that transforms me into Ladybug through my earrings," Marinette explained. Alya looked a little creeped out, but shrugged and nodded.

"Tikki. Kwami. Got it. And she's right, you should go as Ladybug and ask the hospital for a blood transfusion!" Alya said. Marinette nodded.

"But first, do you have any cookies?"

"Cookies? You want to eat cookies at a time like this?"

############################################################################################################################################################

By the time Tikki had recharged, Marinette had transformed (which made Alya squeal in excitement quietly), Ladybug had gone to the hospital, the hospital staff had surprisingly asked no questions and gave her what she needed, and she got back the sun had started to peek above the horizon.

Ladybug vaulted back through the window, detransforming. Tikki flew over to Plagg, who was still unconscious. Marinette noticed that while she was gone, Alya had moved Adrien, changed the sheets, and then put him back on the bed and wrapped him in a blanket.

"Here we go," she set an IV drip and a blood drip IV. Alya immediately read through the instructions that a nurse had scribbled down and then set up the needles accordingly in Adrien's muscles.

"That's all we can do for now. They give you any trouble?" Alya asked. Marinette shook her head.

"They were surprisingly okay with it," she answered.

"Of course they were, you're Ladybug!" Alya answered cheerfully. She watched as Marinette's face fell, frowning deeply.

"Hey Alya," she started, sitting down on the bed and absentmindedly stroking Adrien's hair. "How would you like to be Ladybug from now on?"

"WHAT?" Alya practically yelled, before clapping her hands over her mouth. The girls nervously looked towards the door, waiting for Alya's parents to burst through it. Nothing. "I meant ' _what_!'," Alya finished, whispering the 'what'. "You can't just give up because your partner got hurt!"

"But it was my fault, Alya," Marinette whisper-argued. "I was the one who blew up at him earlier! If we hadn't had that fight, we never would have separated! And I was the one who was so _stupid_ and _blinded_ by hate because I was _selfish_ , that I blamed Chat Noir, who is so honest, helpful, and innocent, for Adrien's disappearance! And he had to pay the price for it!"

"But Marinette, all of the evidence pointed to Chat Noir! You had no way of knowing that he was Adrien! Even I thought it was Chat!"

"But if I hadn't been so insistent on keeping our identities a secret, if I hadn't _trusted_ him a little, then none of this would have happened!" Marinette started to sniffle, letting a few tears run down her face. She looked at Adrien, fingers still running through his blonde hair.

"Marinette, you kept it a secret so that this wouldn't happen! To keep both of your friends and families safe," Alya argued back.

" _BUT IT HAPPENED ANYWAY_!" Marinette hissed. "I'm not cut out to be a superhero. I never was! Chat was the only thing that convinced me to keep the Miraculous! Did you know that when I first received my earrings, I slid them into your bag at school?" Alya's eyes widened. "Chat encouraged me not to give up, so I took them back! But they were probably meant for you all along, Alya. You deserve them, not me!"

Alya opened her mouth to retort, but a noise snapped them out of their argument. They leapt to their feet and spun around, staring at the bed they had just been sitting on.

"M'lady..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, there's another cliffhanger. Forgive me, I can't help myself ;)
> 
> Also forgive my lack of knowledge about medical stuff. I probably got a lot of stuff wrong! Anyway, I hoped you liked it. Please R&R!


	17. Confrontations, Confessions, and Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys, as promised, here is the next chapter! And it is somewhat longer... This chapter is kind of a bridge between the action filled chapters and the emotion filled chapters. Hopefully from here on out we'll have a smooth ride, but I can't promise anything because I am planning on having angst (my personal favorite thing and the one genre I can write the best).
> 
> Anyway, I still can't really grasp the concept that I have as many reviews as I do. Every time I read a review, no matter how big or small it makes me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Then Sayuri eats them. So yeah, #FeedTheKwami!

 

****Chapter 17: Confrontations, Confessions, and Confusion** **

"M'lady?" Adrien's voice sounded hoarse and weak. His eyes fluttered open, only to be immediately shut again. "Where am I?" he groaned. Marinette was frozen in place, so Alya decided to take over.

"You're at my house," she informed him. Adrien nodded stiffly, and then his eyes widened and he scrambled around like he was trying to sit up. "Don't move!" Alya hissed, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him back down.

"But what about Ladybug?" he asked weakly, shoving her hand off of him. Marinette's eyes were slowly filling with tears. After all of this happens to him and the first thing he was concerned about was Ladybug? She felt even more disgusting and dishonorable, if possible. How could one person be so selfless? Shouldn't he be worried about his injuries? His secret identity?

That thought must have occurred to Adrien too, because he suddenly gasped and groaned. "Oh crap, Alya, I can explain!" He looked panicked. "You see I was accidentally in the way of the akuma and-"

"Adrien, we know you're Chat Noir," Alya dead panned. The model gulped nervously.

"Oh, r-right," he said weakly. He peered over Alya's shoulder at Marinette. "Hey Marinette," he greeted, his voice lanced with pain. "I need to get back to Ladybug! The akuma!"

"Adrien, you aren't going anywhere while you're hurt this badly! Ladybug already took care of the akuma!" Alya told him. Relief instantly washed across his face, followed by a wince.

"Right," he responded, voice sounding breathy. "She didn't get hurt, did she?"

Marinette had yet to move. She wished she could disappear through a hole in the ground. She wished that the growing pit in her stomach would swallow her up. She wished that she could ignore the way his voice sent pangs of guilt rolling over her like waves and drowning her. He deserved more than this. He was so worried about the partner that had hated him and thought he was such a horrible person. He should be more worried about himself! Alya agreed.

"OH MY GOSH, AGRESTE! AREN'T YOU EVEN SLIGHTLY WORRIED ABOUT YOURSELF?"

Adrien looked down, moving his non-broken arm around on the sheets. "Am I…going to be okay?" he asked quietly. Alya turned exasperatingly to Marinette. This was not at all how she had imagined Adrien waking up to go. She had certainly expected it to be more….dramatic.

Like, she didn't know, the thrilling revelation of their identities, or the bitter-sweet meeting of two lovers. Maybe even a fight. Or Marinette hugging him enthusiastically. Adrien being a bit more responsive. A kiss, for god's sake!

Alya had pictured the unmasking of Ladybug and Chat Noir in a hundred different ways. Sweet reveals, cute reveals, funny reveals, angsty reveals, hopelessly romantic reveals, sinful reveals…..She had read (and written although she would never admit it) a ton of Fanfiction drabbles, oneshots, and fics focused solely on what the big reveal would look like. This shy awkward tenseness, Marinette's inability to face the music, and Adrien's little to no responsiveness was NOT satisfying her inner Ladybug fan.

"Marinette?" Alya said slowly. "You can't avoid this forever."

Marinette took a deep breath, let it out, and burst into tears. Adrien looked startled and taken aback. "I'm so sorry Adrien!" Marinette sobbed.

"Sorry for what?" he asked. He tried to shift his body a bit to look at the crying girl better, but the fire in his side and the aches and groans from everywhere else in his body quickly put an end to that idea.

"Oh Chat...Adrien...I'm so so so so so so sorry!" Marinette apologized again. She all but flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close, burying her head in his shoulder. Adrien suppressed a groan as he was jostled around slightly, but he didn't shake the girl off. Marinette was clinging to him like he was going to disappear any second.

"What are you sorry for, Marinette?" he managed to get out through clenched teeth. He felt the dizziness returning. Marinette suddenly jumped backwards, shaking herself and trying to hurriedly brush away her tears.

"Oh gosh, I didn't mean to-you shouldn't have to deal with-I just-" Marinette babbled. She took a deep breath. "Where do I even start?" she asked in a low whisper.

There was so much she wanted to say to him right now, but where could she even begin? 'Hey Adrien, sorry that I assumed you had kidnapped yourself and because of me you're so hurt we're not even really sure you can fully recover, and by the way I'm Ladybug, your partner and the one person who should have seen this was a set up and saved you, and so now I'm finally realizing how selfish and despicable I am and I'm giving up being Ladybug for good, so goodbye'?

"I would suggest starting with your alter ego, so as to avoid confusion," said Alya exasperatingly. She understood what her friend was feeling, she really did. Mari had screwed up. And the one thing Alya knew about Marinette was that if she screwed up, she beat herself up for it over and over again, unwilling to let it go and get over it even after the problem had been fixed or she'd been forgiven.

"Alter ego?" Adrien questioned. Was his confusedness because of his dizziness, or his pounding head, or because something bigger that was happening here that he didn't understand? He didn't know how exactly the girls had gotten him to Alya's house. He knew it was a few blocks away from the akuma attack, though.

Maybe Ladybug had requested that they take care of him? Maybe she had just left, knowing that eventually paramedics of some kind would come. He had no idea. He didn't want to be a burden to Alya, but he could barely move so he really had no choice at this point. And he still didn't know what Marinette was sorry for. Marinette had never really been able to talk to Adrien. He hoped it wasn't because of the gum incident. He thought that they had worked that out...

Tikki finally decided to make it easier on Marinette. She flew right in front of Adrien's face and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Tikki. I am Ladybug's kwami!"

If it was possible for Adrien's face to get any paler, it would have. "But...Ladybug...then..." his voice trailed off as he looked up. "Marinette?"

Finally, Marinette couldn't take it any more. "Adrien I'm so sorry! After we had that fight I was really angry and I wasn't thinking and then Adrien disappeared and I couldn't find you anywhere and I thought you-uh-Chat Noir, had kidnapped Adrien because I'm such a horrible person and I completely doubted how amazing and kind and selfless you are and then I got some kind of ransom note signed with Chat's paw print but in Adrien's blood..." She paused to take a breath.

"And then I was really convinced that Chat Noir had kidnapped Adrien and so I hated you and I never even thought about the fact that you could be in trouble and that it was a really a set up the whole time to make me think that you had kidnapped Adrien when you were Adrien and I should have seen through the facade and I didn't because I was blinded by my own selfishness and you got so badly hurt and it is all my fault and I am so, so, so, soooo sorry!"

The tears that were streaming down her face returned in ten fold and she choked on a sob, burying her hands in her face as she turned away from him. "And...and you can h-h-hate me for this," she hiccuped. "And I w-won't ever l-l-let you down again because I'm giving up being Ladybug to someone more worthy than I am!"

Adrien stared in horror. The fact that Marinette had thought that Chat Noir, her partner and best friend, had kidnapped someone did sting a bit. But just a bit. First of all, he had to wrap his head around the fact that sweet, shy, stuttering, clumsy Marinette was the bold, sassy, confident Ladybug. But it made sense. Her hair, eyes, the way she carried herself... how hadn't he noticed it before? Marinette was brave and stood up for what she believed in.

Second of all. Ladybug, the person he had fallen in love with since day one, the person he admired most in the world for her bravery and self-sacrifice, who was his classmate and the one girl he had actually noticed and might have considered loving if not for Ladybug, wanted to give up her miraculous because she thought she was selfish?

Pain be damned, Adrien reached over and grabbed Marinette's arm, yanking her down to eye level and staring straight into her pretty bluebell eyes. "Listen to me, Marinette, Ladybug, whichever you prefer, you aren't selfish. You chose to sacrifice so much of yourself and your life when you became Ladybug. There's no way you could ever be selfish enough to make a difference in how I, or Paris, sees you."

"But you got hurt! You could have died, kitty! I was holding you in my arms and there was blood everywhere! I should have realized...I should have prevented it!" Marinette insisted.

"There was really nothing you could have done, Marinette. You wouldn't have been able to find Hawkmoth's lair even if you did realize what was happening. You and I have only been searching for what, two years now?" he consoled her.

"Besides," he continued. "Receiving a note with my signature, something only you and I have seen, in Adrien's blood only backed up your theory. I don't blame you. You didn't know my secret identity," he fidgeted a bit. He felt really tired, and he wanted to go back to sleep, but he wouldn't let himself. Not when Marinette was on the brink of giving up her powers.

"But if I had just trusted you enough to reveal our identities, then none of this would have happened," Marinette blurted out.

"Marinette, when Hawkmoth had me, he tortured me to try and find out your secret identity. If I had known what it was, I might have broken. Especially if he had used my father or someone else as persuasion. Then you and all your family and friends would have been in danger. You didn't want that to happen," Adrien sighed. It hurt to talk. Screaming so much had really torn up his throat.

"I know, but its still my fault," Marinette sniffled.

"Technically Marinette, its my fault. I went to check on you when you were fighting the akumatized Trapper, even though you told me you never wanted to see me again. That's how I got captured," Adrien admitted with a sigh.

"The rooftop...the vent...those marks...your claws..." Adrien nodded. "Why did you come to the fight, you stupid cat?" Marinette's lame attempt at a joke felt wrong on her tongue, especially because of the despair in her voice.

"I couldn't let you get hurt," Adrien said weakly. "I love you too much..."

"I don't deserve your love," Marinette mumbled.

"Well, that's just too bad, m'lady. Because now you're stuck with it. We'll get through this together, you'll see. You'll feel better later. The last few days have been rather cat-astrophic."

Adrien was surprised when Marinette pulled him close for a bone-crushing hug. She buried her head in his shoulder and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I don't deserve this forgiveness," she whispered into his ear.

"Too bad, because you've got it," Adrien murmured back.

"Chaton, I have a secret."

"Oh, and what is it?"

"I actually like your puns," Marinette admitted in a whisper. Despite the pain that was still running through his body, Adrien felt a grin spread across his face.

"I knew it!" he announced triumphantly. Then he cringed and hissed in pain. Marinette immediately released him and backed up. "Sorry," he apologized through clenched teeth.

"For what? It's my fault that you got hurt. I don't care what you say kitten, I'll never forgive myself," Marinette said, looking at the floor. Adrien didn't respond. A wave of dizziness washed over him as he sank back down and laid his head on the pillow. He felt nauseous.

"Adrien?" Marinette said. Adrien groaned in response, twisting a bit and biting back the scream that arose in his throat. His side burned. His wrist ached. His leg felt as though someone had just run a fork over his wound. "Chat? Chat!"

Adrien watched as the world disappeared and became a bunch of blurry images, hardly recognizable blurs. Words were just noise, and they held no meaning as they rang in his ears. He looked up drowsily. Blue eyes...Marinette...Ladybug...

Meanwhile, as Adrien went glassy-eyed Marinette went into full on panic mode. Alya and Tikki, who had been having a silent conversation in the corner, immediately came over.

"Adrien is in bad shape, Marinette," Tikki told the girl. "And so is Plagg. But if we can get Plagg to Master Fu and heal him, then Adrien can transform into Chat Noir and the suit will help him heal faster. But we need to hurry. Every minute we wait they both get worse!"

Suddenly, a voice interrupted their conversation. "Alya! Time to get up for school or you'll be late!"

"Shoot, my mom!" Alya said. "Okay, plan. I go downstairs and act like there's nothing weird going on, you transform and sneak out my window. You take Plagg to this Master Fu guy-"

"I'm not leaving him!" Marinette interrupted, cradling Adrien's head in her lap. His eyes were closed, but his chest was rising and falling unsteadily and each breath seemed like an effort. Alya huffed in annoyance.

"Fine, I'll take Plagg and Tikki downstairs with me, pretend I'm leaving for school, and then take them to Master Fu. You can stay with your kitty cat," Alya said. Her eyes widened. "Shoot, what about your parents?"

"I'll text them and say I went to your house last night and I ended up..falling asleep and now I have to head to school with you or I'll be late."

"Okay, perfect," Alya agreed. "Okay, come on, little kwaji, or whatever you are."

"Kwami," Tikki corrected.

"Whatever. Where can I put the unconscious one, Plagg?"

"We can just ride in your bag," Tikki said. She lifted Plagg up and gently set him inside of Alya's bag.

"Hurry," Marinette said. Alya nodded, determination lighting up in her eyes. She headed down the stairs, making sure to shut her bedroom door behind her. Hopefully none of her siblings would decide to get nosy today.

Once she was gone, Marinette looked back down at the unconscious boy in her lap. How could she have done this to her best friend? Her partner? He had trusted her, and she felt like she had stabbed him in the back. She wasn't the person who injured him, but she might as well be.

Marinette sighed. The road to recovery would not be an easy one. They would have to take it one step at a time. Together. If they ever even trusted each other again. Only time would tell if both the physical and mental wounds would ever truly heal.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And there you go! I hope you enjoyed it! For any of you that may be confused or disappointed with this chapter, I tried to write what I feel the realistic situation would be like, some some perfect reveal or completely awkward free situation. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing and have a great day!


	18. The Road to Recovery

**Chapter 18: The Road to Recovery**

The time that Marinette spent waiting for Alya to come back felt like an eternity. She never left Adrien's side. She wished that Tikki could have stayed with her, to keep her some company. She needed the little kwami's encouraging words more than ever. Then again, Marinette would have to get used to being by herself since she planned to give up her Miraculous.

She sat and played with Adrien's hair while she listened to the Césaire household get ready for the day. Alya's siblings were extremely loud, and they all seemed to have one common need: the bathroom. She listened as they all got up and headed off to school. Alya's mom eventually left as well. Now it was quiet.

The quiet atmosphere gave Marinette time to think, which may not necessarily be a good thing. She had been doing too much thinking lately. Pretty much everything that went through her mind circled back on how selfish and despicable she was. Even she was tired of it.

At one point, Adrien started to shift a little bit. She looked down at him. His face was contorted with pain, and a grimace crossed his still handsome features. He let out a whimper and he tried to roll over, but stopped short when the pain jolted through him. He awoke with a start.

"Adrien?" Marinette said. "Are you okay?"

"Mari," he murmured. He scooted a bit closer to her, cuddling up against her side and clinging to her like she would disappear. Then he fell back asleep. It made Marinette feel even more guilty. She was responsible for everything he had to go through. _All my fault_ , was her silent mantra that she repeated over and over again.

The wait also provided Marinette with time to let the realization that Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir sink in. It had come as a shock, but she had been so concerned with saving his life that she was running off of instinct and adrenaline, and only now did her brain start to operate properly again. Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir.

It made so much sense! The smug, satisfied smirk Adrien had on his face whenever he did something well. The sincere and kind smile that Chat flashed Ladybug. The enjoyment of life and mischief that sparkled in Adrien's eyes when he was hanging out with Nino or doing something purely for fun (which was very rare). The sad, serious look Chat let his face fall into when he thought Ladybug wasn't looking. How Chat never, ever, mentioned anything about his home life.

Not to mention that they had the same green eyes, blonde hair, height, build, and features. Adrien was never around when Chat was. Chat always conveniently showing up just as Adrien disappeared. A smile almost graced Marinette's lip when she thought about the few times that Adrien had pretended to be 'taking a shower' so she wouldn't find out his secret identity.

Why hadn't she let him see who she was? Why was she so afraid of seeing who he was? Marinette could say that she was protecting her friends and family. That would be the heroic answer. But no, in reality she had been afraid. She had been selfish yet again. She was scared that he wouldn't like her civilian self.

Deep down, she knew that Chat Noir really had loved her. But she had ignored it. She had down-played it because she was in love with Adrien. Adrien was what she wanted. Goodness, she was so unbelievably selfish.

How could she have done this for two years? She saw the hurt in her partner's eyes every time she rejected him. She saw the way he was starved for attention, any kind of affection. The way his face fell when she left him. The way he hungrily stared at every happy family that the duo passed on their patrols.

He deserved the best in life. And he didn't get it. He tried so hard to please everybody, and to be nice to everybody, even Chloe! He worked himself to the bone to please his father, who didn't give him a second thought. And patrols and akuma attacks on top of that?

The sound of the downstairs door opening and closing snapped Marinette out of her thoughts. She knew it was Alya coming up the stairs because she had long since memorized the pattern of Alya's footsteps, swift and business like with a spring in her step. The red haired reporter burst through the door.

"I'm back!" she called, clearly glad that since her family was gone she no longer had to stay quiet. Marinette looked up.

"Hey," she greeted. Tikki flew out of Alya's bag, immediately followed by a little black blur.

"Marinette, this is Plagg. Plagg, Marinette. You two never officially met," Tikki introduced them. Plagg glanced at Marinette, disgust crossing his little cat face.

"Pleased to meet you," the sarcasm in Plagg's voice was so unbelievably obvious. Tikki glared at Plagg and opened her mouth, but Plagg cut her off. "How is he?" The cat kwami flew down and nuzzled Adrien's cheek before plopping down on the boy's chest and curling up.

"I don't know," Marinette admitted. "He woke up for a half a second, but it wasn't like he was really awake."

"Wake him up again," Plagg demanded. "I need to transform him."

"Well if he's asleep, maybe we shouldn't….." Marinette's voice trailed off. Plagg looked up, shooting daggers at her with his yellow-green eyes.

"I like how you pick right now to start caring," he said with disgust. Tikki was taken aback.

"Plagg, this is no time to be rude!" the ladybug kwami scolded him. Plagg rolled his eyes.

"At least I'm actually trying to help Adrien!"

"She did everything she could!"

"You know what else she could have done? Showed up at least three days earlier and gotten him out of Hawkmoth's Lair." The two kwami's glared at each other. Alya watched in the background, ignoring the urge to pull out her camera and videotape all of this. Marinette felt the tears start to well up in her eyes again, but she bit her lip.

"Plagg, I'm really sorry-" she started to apologize. Plagg cut her off.

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" he growled. "Now wake the kid up so I can transform him and help him heal!"

"Plagg I didn't want him to get hurt! I never meant for him to get hurt! You know how much I've always cared about Chat Noir!" Marinette insisted.

"Which is why you yelled at him and then assumed that he had kidnapped someone out of jealously and then HURT them really badly? If you really thought that much of Chat, then why was it so easy for you to doubt his honesty and kindness?"

"I know what I did was unforgivable-" Marinette tried again.

"Then don't ask me to forgive you," Plagg said, cutting her off again. He flew back over to Adrien and tugged on the boy's blonde hair. Then he started licking Adrien's cheek.

"Plaaaaagg, stoppit," Adrien slurred as he opened his eyes and blinked. Daylight streaming in from Alya's window filled his vision. Whiteness. That room. Hawkmoth. The knife. "NO!"

Adrien bolted upright, twisting in a violent manner to try and get away. He cried out as his wrist made contact with something hard and his pain shot through his body. He had to get out of here! His breath came in short gasps as he tried to remind himself to breath.

"Adrien? Adrien, you're safe! It's okay!" he heard a voice call. Marinette's face filled his vision. Marinette. Ladybug. Not Hawkmoth. Safe. Adrien slowly let his muscles relax and his rapid breathing slow.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"It's okay," Marinette reassured him. Suddenly, black completely blocked his vision as something soft crashed into his face.

"Adriiiieeeeen!"

Adrien laughed a bit, which sent him into a fit of coughing. Once he could breathe again he said, "Hey Plagg."

"You need to transform so I can help you heal!" Plagg told him before licking the end of Adrien's nose.

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Adrien reached up with his non-broken arm and pulled Plagg away from his face. Rough cat tongue on his face wasn't always fun. He rubbed the kwami's belly with his fingers.

"I'm sure. The reporter girl brought me to Master Fu, and he restored my energy!"

"My name is Alya!" a voice from the corner protested.

"Okay, if you're really sure," Adrien relented. Plagg nodded seriously.

"I'm sure. I'll just need to come back out of your ring every five hours or so, provided you don't use your cataclysm, for a break and some cheese. And it better be Camembert!" Plagg glared at Marinette, who nodded hastily. Tikki sighed.

"Okay then. Plagg, claws out!" Adrien said softly. Plagg disappeared into his ring. Green light flashed throughout the room as Adrien transformed. It died down and Marinette and Alya uncovered their eyes to see Chat Noir.

Seeing Adrien back in costume jolted Marinette a bit. She knew he was going to transform, and she knew that he would look like Chat always did, but seeing it still made it seem just so real. It also made her heart hurt more. Her kitty cat.

"Can I have some water?" Chat asked.

"I thought cats liked milk," Alya teased him. Chat rolled his eyes.

"Actually most cats are lactose intolerant. Giving them milk would be cat-astrophic," Chat grinned weakly.

"Um, I'll go get you that water," Marinette excused herself. She hurriedly left the room, heading downstairs to the kitchen. How could he joke around so lightly, as if he didn't have a care in the world? She, as Ladybug, had often joked with Chat that nothing would stop his sense of humor. She could hear the pain in his voice though. She could see the wince in his movement. The hurt in his eyes.

The panic attack he had when he had first woken up concerned her. Would he be able to get over what happened very quickly? She hoped that was a one-time, unsure-of-where-I-am thing. She didn't want him to worry. She didn't want him to have to doubt his safety ever again.

"Marinette, you're over-reacting," Tikki told her as she pulled a glass out of a cabinet. "He's clearly willing to forgive you. I don't think the boy is capable of holding a grudge against you."

"I know…." Marinette replied softly as she held the glass underneath the tap. She watched the water fall, slowly filling up the glass. She sighed. "I guess sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself."

############################################################################################################################################################

He was running. Panting, dodging things that appeared out of nowhere in front of him. He bolted down an alleyway. A wall appeared in front of him and he skidded to a halt. He looked up. Marinette stood on top of the building, looking down at him. "M'lady, help!"

Chat Noir turned to face the oncoming enemy. Hawkmoth strode confidently forward, a grin on his face. Chat was cornered. There was no escape for this enemy that had eluded him for the past two years. Finally, Hawkmoth's time for victory had arrived!

"Ladybug, please!" Chat pleaded, looking back up at Marinette.

Marinette stood on top of the rooftop, watching Hawkmoth approach her partner. She nodded firmly, and shouted, "Tikki, spots on!"

Nothing happened.

"T-Tikki, spots on!" she stammered again. Still nothing. No pink flash of light. No magical transformation. Nothing. Marinette's hands flew to her earrings. Her fingertips brushed her ears. They weren't there! Why weren't they there?

"Ladybug, any time now would be great!" Chat's panicked yell snatched her from her panic. Hawkmoth was twenty feet away from him.

"I….I can't!" she called to him in desperation. Fear flashed across his face.

"What?" he called back in disbelief.

"I can't," Marinette whispered. "My earrings…they're gone!"

"Of course they're gone!" a voice snapped from behind her. Marinette whipped around to see a little black cat kwami hovering a few feet away. "You gave them up! Now Chloe Bourgeois is the new Ladybug!"

Marinette gasped. What? She hadn't remembered giving them up. And wait a second; Plagg couldn't be up here if he was in Adrien's ring. She turned back and looked over the edge of the roof in confusion.

"Marinette!" The way Chat called her name broke her heart. Hawkmoth was ten feet away. He pulled a knife out of his suit. The blade glinted in the moonlight.

"But….but I can't help him!" Marinette said, panicked. "I don't have my yoyo, my powers, anything!"

"Bingo," Plagg said lazily, tossing a piece of cheese into his mouth. Marinette turned to face the kwami, absolutely furious.

"He's your miraculous wielder! Don't you care what happens to him?"

Plagg shrugged. "Chat Noir always ends up dying in the line of duty. Every single one of them. Normally, it'd be to protect Ladybug though. This is a somewhat refreshing change."

"Refreshing? REFRESHING?!"

"Look, I'm used to it. Bad luck follows me everywhere. There's no stopping it. Just don't get attached and focus on cheese. That's the way to live," Plagg commented. Marinette felt the tears spilling down her cheeks, but she was too angry to brush them away.

"How could you be so heartless?"

"Heartless? I think you're the only heartless one here, Princess," Plagg said, glaring at her. The nickname was bitter on his tongue. Marinette was appalled.

"How could you say such a thing? At least I'm trying to help!"

"Oh really? Because you know what you could do? You could jump off of this roof onto or in front of Hawkmoth. You'd probably break both legs, most of your ribs, maybe even fracture your skull," Plagg shot back. "But that would distract Hawkmoth and give Chat enough time to get away."

Marinette looked back over the edge of the rooftop. Hawkmoth was nearly on top of Chat. His face showed desperation and unimaginable fear. He looked up at her. "Marinette, Ladybug, I love you!"

"You could save him," Plagg sung behind her. "You could sacrifice yourself and save him. After all, isn't sacrificial love the best kind?"

Marinette looked back down. "But…"

"But you're too selfish. You only care about yourself, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Nothing will ever change that. He's about to die. You have approximately five seconds to make your decision."

"But I-"

"Five."

"I can't just-"

"Four."

"I have to-"

"Three."

"It's not that simple!"

"You've got two seconds, princess. Better make up your mind fast!"

Marinette took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm sorry Chat. I can't." And then she turned and walked away across the rooftop. Down in the alleyway below, Chat's scream pierced the air and echoed through the night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um….. *goes and hides* Two things, I promise no character death for this fic (including Chat) and thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you have a great day! #FeedTheKwami
> 
> Also, shout out to Niom Lamboise who came up with the idea of Plagg hating Marinette!


	19. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I've recently been reading The Book Thief, and it kind of affected my writing style, I started this one out kind of darkly. It ends semi-happy. I suppose it all depends on how you look at it. If you haven't read that book yet, you should. It's amazing (and also very sad...) Anyway, Sayuri and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

 

**Chapter 19: Nightmares**

Marinette took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm sorry Chat. I can't." And then she turned and walked away across the rooftop. Down in the alleyway below, Chat's scream pierced the air and echoed through the night.

############################################################################################################################################################

"CHAT!" Marinette bolted upright, chest heaving, her blue eyes wide with shock and fear. She glanced around wildly. It was pitch black? Where was she?  
"Ugh, Marinette," she heard the comforting sound of Alya's voice through the darkness. Her pounding heart slowed slightly. Light flooded the room suddenly. Marinette looked up and saw Alya by the light switch. The reporter was wearing plaid sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. The sight was one Marinette had seen at many sleepovers. It was comfortable and friendly. It reminded her of home.

She immediately turned her gaze to the bed across the room. Black leather and blonde hair. Chat. He was safe. She let out a shuddering sigh as she stood, crossing the room. It was stupid, but she needed to make sure he was still breathing. She knelt down by his side and laid her hand on his chest. Up. Down. Up. Down. Good.

Marinette turned to Alya. "Sorry, nightmare…" Alya nodded.

"It's okay. Those can be scary. Want to talk about it?" Marinette shook her head no.

"I don't want to. It's just…he died. I could have saved him, and I didn't. I walked away." Alya came over and gave Marinette a hug.

"It'll be okay, you'll see. Adrien will recover, and everything will go back to being normal," Alya reassured her friend.

"No, it won't," Marinette said. "It can never go back to the way it was before. Adrien is Chat Noir. I can never unlearn that. He was hurt. He'll probably never be exactly the same. He knows who I am. He probably won't be the same around me. You know who we are, so what about the Ladyblog? I won't be obsessing over Adrien... Chat probably won't be flirting with me anymore. It can never be the same."

Begrudgingly, Alya had to agree. It really couldn't be the same. She wished that you could delete some memories from your mind. Like on a phone. Just delete a picture, or a video. Forget about it. But she couldn't say that to Marinette. Not right now.

"It'll be fine, Mari," she promised. "Besides, now I'll be able to help you. And Chat. It'll be a lot easier for you to get away and de-transform without me chasing you! Well, I won't chase you when you need to de-transform, anyway."

Marinette smiled slightly. "I don't know if it'll be me you'll be chasing with your camera during akuma attacks."

"What do you mean? You weren't serious when you said that you were going to give up your miraculous, were you? Mari, you can't!"

"We'll talk about this in the morning, Al," Marinette said through a yawn She took one last look at Chat Noir to make sure he actually was breathing and then she walked back over to her improvised bed on the floor. She and Alya were sleeping on the floor in Alya's room because Chat had her bed. They had dozed all day and well into the night time after last night's stressful events. She glanced at the clock. 10:00pm.

Alya wasn't ready to let the conversation go, but she knew she wouldn't get anywhere right now. Maybe tomorrow after both girls were sufficiently well rested and had some coffee. The red head turned the light switch off and fumbled through the darkness back to the nest of pillows and blankets that she and Marinette were sharing. It wasn't long until sleep reclaimed her.

############################################################################################################################################################

It was dark. That was the first thing that Chat was aware of. Pitch black. He slowly got to his feet? Where was he? His brilliant green eyes darted nervously around. They were still met with blackness. If this was what being blind was like, Chat Noir would rather be dead.

He cautiously took a few steps forward. To his surprise, it didn't hurt. Not even a little bit. What was going on? He put his hands in front of him and took a few more steps, feeling for something. Anything of solid substance. His fingers brushed the air and were met by nothingness.

"Hello?" he called. His voice sounded muffled when it reached his ears. He frowned. He had hoped for an echo. Anything that signified there was a something solid anywhere close. He took a deep breath. He hadn't realized how fast his heart was beating.

The fear and insecurity started to creep back in. Chat stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over his own tail. He fought back the scream that arose on his throat. There was nothing here. No one to help him.

Suddenly, something brushed his cheek. He whipped around, frantically brushing his arms around his head, hoping to bat it away. From an onlooker's viewpoint, it would have looked almost comical.

Something else brushed his leg. Chat again stumbled backwards, this time losing his cat-like grace and balance. He tripped. He fell. He hit the ground with a thud, and scooted backwards. He was wrong. There was something in here. Something alive. Something that moved.

"H-h-hello?" he stammered. Nothing.

A flapping noise from somewhere to his right sent Chat's heart into a flurry of panic. His mind had lost any sense of logic, or the ability to comfort him. He was paralyzed with fear.

Just when he had decided nothing could be any worse than this, he heard it. The laugh. It sent chills running up and down his spine. It made his brain freeze. It made his heart want to jump out of his chest. That cruel laugh. It was the epitomy of evil. Surely, if the devil ever laughed it would sound like that.

"Come back to play, kitten?" a voice came out of the darkness. Chat wanted to curl up into a ball on the floor and disappear. But he couldn't.

"H-hawkmoth?"

"The one and only. We never finished, you and I. We never ended the game. At first I thought you had tried to break the rules, to run from your fate. But here you are." Hawkmoth chuckled deeply. "Your failed escape was your move, and now it's my turn!"

Suddenly, a light appeared behind Chat Noir. The cat boy leapt to his feet and spun around in one quick movement. Several white butterflies were the source of the light. Akumas. Hawkmoth stepped out of the shadows, and Chat could clearly see the man's thin smirk.

Chat subconsciously went to pull his baton out. It wasn't there. Why wasn't it there? Hawkmoth's smirk grew into a smile. "Oh, does the little kitty not have a weapon? That's hardly fair."

Hawkmoth took another step forward. "But then again, I'm not a very fair man."

Chat took a step backwards. His instinct was screaming ' _Run! Run, you idiot!_ ' but his legs would not obey him. Hawkmoth pulled out a knife. And then the light from the butterflies went out.

Chat's breathing was the only audible noise. His pupils grew larger to accommodate for the lack of light, but they were still met by the darkness.

He wasn't sure where the pain hit first. It seemed to come in multiple different places at once. A kick to his back. A punch to his nose. The knife shoved into his side. He stumbled, falling face first onto the cold floor. He felt the blood pool around him.

Groaning, Chat rolled over. Several more harsh kicks to his side completely diminished any idea of getting back up. "Now, mon chaton." Hawkmoth's words made Chat's blood boil. That was what Ladybug called him! "Will you finally tell me who Ladybug really is?"

To his horror, Chat couldn't keep the words from flying out of his mouth. He was in agony, writhing around in a pool of his own blood as Hawkmoth stood confidently over him. Maybe his body just couldn't take it anymore. Maybe his brain told him not to care about anything other than his own survival. Maybe both of those factors overthrew what his heart was screaming at him.

"Marinette."

Hawkmoth leaned forward, listening intently. "Speak up boy, I can't hear you."

"MARINETTE!"

He screamed the words. Hawkmoth's smile could not have gotten wider.

"Thank you. And now I think I'll leave you with the dark."

Chat Noir's eyes widened in fear. "N-no. You c-c-can't!"

"Actually, I can. Goodbye, Chat Noir. You won't ever be seeing light again. Fitting that you should die here. And without you, Ladybug will soon fall."

"No!" Chat said, eyes wildly dancing around, his mouth open, thrashing around in the puddle of sticky blood. "NO! NOOOOOOOO!"

############################################################################################################################################################

Marinette couldn't sleep.

She knew she should. She knew she needed to. But she couldn't.

There was too much racing in her mind, circling around and coming back. She would dismiss a thought and it would sneak up behind her. For some reason, the last few days' happenings were enough to send her memory into over-drive.

Remember those nights we all have, when we are drifting off to sleep and suddenly remember something embarrassing that happened in grade school? Or maybe we think of a mistake we made that day that we just can't get over. Maybe a friend or a family member that is struggling with something, physically, mentally, or both. Remember those nights that you spent worrying about tomorrow's math test? Or maybe what your future would look like?

All of those different thoughts and memories were assaulting Marinette. They wouldn't let her go. The can of worms had been opened, and there was no shutting the lid now. She remembered when she was little. Her childhood achievements, but mostly her childhood mistakes. She had made so many of them... She remembered each one in such detail that she astonished herself.

It was as she was lying on her stomach on the floor, listening to Alya snore when she heard him. He was mumbling in his sleep. She strained her ears to listen harder.

"Marinette...no...NO!"

The sheets rustled quietly as he twisted around, desperate to escape the nightmare he was trapped in. His breathing was shallow. Marinette immediately stood and jumped over Alya, landing next to the bed. She put her hand on Chat's forehead. It was sticky with sweat.

He flinched at her contact. The sheets were all twisted up and soaked with sweat. Chat was panting harder now. She placed her hand on his neck to check his pulse, but he flinched and shrank away from her touch subconsciously. A whimper escaped him.

Gently, Marinette shook him. His muttering got a bit louder. "Marinette! No...can't...dark...no..." She shook him a bit harder, and his eyes snapped open.

Marinette was about to open her mouth and say something when Chat shrank back from her. "No... please. Just...please...leave me alone!" She couldn't see the tears running down his cheeks, but she could feel his trembling body.

"Mon chaton-" she started.

"No. No, no, no, NO!" he pressed himself against the wall, as if trying to fade into it and disappear. Suddenly, he went completely limp, and then went into a violent seizure. Marinette, not knowing what else to do, flung her arms around him and pulled him close.

At first he tried to resist, twisting out of her arms. He probably would have leapt over or around her if his injuries would have permitted it. She went to grab his hand, but he pulled it back, hissing. He curled up into a little black leather ball, heaving.

Suddenly, the light switched on. Marinette watched as all of the sudden Chat's demeanor changed entirely. He relaxed, and let out a shuddering sigh. The tears were still streaming down his face. "M-Marinette?"

"I'm here, kitty." She pulled him back into a hug, and this time he went limp in her arms, clinging to her like she would disappear. He buried his head in her shoulder as the sobs escaped him. She ran her fingers through his hair and whispered soothing words into his ear. "You'll be okay, Chat. I'm right here."

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," he hiccuped, pulling away.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Chat Noir!" Marinette reprimanded him. "I'm the one who should be sorry!"

"You both should be sorry for disrupting my precious sleep!" Alya snapped from where she was standing by the light switch. So that was the source of the light. "Honestly, I stay up all night long to save your life and your sanity," she pointed to each of them in turn, "And you don't let me get a whole night's sleep without disturbance? I-"

Alya stopped short when she watched Chat's ears droop. "I'm sorry Alya, I-"

"Don't be," she cut him off. "But can I please go back to sleep?" Marinette glanced at the clock. Unlike when she had previously awoken Alya at 10:00pm, it was now 3:00am. No wonder Alya was so angry. She was always like that if you woke her up in the middle of the night.

"Sorry Al, we'll go to sleep now. Is that alright, chaton?" He nodded mutely in response.

"Thank you," Alya sighed. She switched the light off.

Chat immediately stiffened in her arms, and she heard his sharp intake of breath. "Chat?" she whispered. He started to shake, and she could see his green eyes clearly through the darkness. They were wide and full of panic, but most of all, they were filled with sheer terror. She held him closer and he tried to push away from her.

"Alya, turn the light back on!" Marinette commanded. She heard a groan and a few choice words before light flooded the room again.

"Seriously? This had better be good becau-" She stopped short as she watched the cat boy in Marinette's arms visibly relax. He sniffled.

"I can't," he whispered.

"What's wrong, kitten?" Marinette asked gently, brushing away a stray tear with her hand.

"I can't go back to the darkness," he whispered. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"You don't have to explain, Chat. We can sleep with the light on."

"WHAT?"

Marinette shot daggers at Alya with her glare. The red head groaned, "Somebody shoot me!" before she collapsed dramatically upon the ground and covered her head with her pillow. Marinette smiled weakly at Chat as she stood up, but he grabbed her hand.

"What?" she asked, looking back down at the boy, who had his knees drawn up to his chest and his tail wrapped around himself.

"I..." he paused, unsure of what to say. The fear was still in his eyes. Marinette hated that. He had suffered enough at her hands. She wasn't going to put him through any more.

"Hey Alya, do you want your bed back?" She watched in amusement as her friend's head shot up immediately.

"But what about him?"

"He'll be fine."

"How about the IV?"

"I think I already pulled that out accidentally while moving around..." Chat rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Besides, the ground is soft. It won't make him hurt more or anything," Marinette added.

"Well, when you put it like that..." Alya grabbed a blanket and her pillow and crawled onto her bed. "Maybe sleeping with the lights on won't kill me."

Marinette guided Chat down to her nest of pillows and blankets on the floor. He curled up almost like a real cat would, and she laid down a little bit aways, close enough that she could keep running her fingers through his hair.

Chat fell asleep relatively quickly. Marinette frowned worriedly at the broken boy beside her. What could she possibly do for him? She didn't know what made him react like that to the darkness, but she didn't care. She swore, one day Hawkmoth was gonna pay. And it wasn't going to be pretty. She finally fell asleep with thoughts of revenge swirling through her mind.

############################################################################################################################################################

For anyone thinking that Gabriel Agreste was the kind of person who would leave Chat Noir alone to heal and then eventually come back and defeat him, you were wrong. Of course, he wanted his son to heal. He wanted to be able to provide him with medical care. But right now he couldn't possibly show up at wherever Adrien was and get help. That would be all too obvious.

He had done what he could, finding the blogger girl's number on the school records. He hoped she and whoever Ladybug was had sufficient enough equipment to treat everything he had done to his own son...

Gabriel was slowly dying inside. He wanted to take it all back. Everything he had done since donning the butterfly miraculous for the first time. But the past was the past, and there was no going back now.

There was one chance, he told himself. Clearly by now Alya and Ladybug would know Adrien's identity. He couldn't be taken to a hospital without a ton of people figuring out the connection between Adrien and Chat Noir. So he would have to be at her house.

He could sneak in and take the ring. He didn't know if Ladybug was still there, but of she was it would be an added bonus. Both girls would be exhausted after taking care of Adrien. If she was there, he would take the earrings as well.

But the most important thing was the ring. He could take it, and then Adrien would never again transform into Chat Noir. He wouldn't know his father was Hawkmoth. Hawkmoth wouldn't have to kill Adrien. Life could return as normal for both father and son. Meanwhile, he could use the cat miraculous to get the ladybug miraculous. Then he could bring his wife back.

In his mind, it was the perfect plan. So, not being one to waste time, he decided to immediately put it into action. He found Alya's address, and then he transformed and leapt out the window. He may be a little old for a rooftop spree, but nothing could stop him from finding a way to fix his broken family. Absolutely nothing.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, that was a page and a half longer than all of my others chapters. You're welcome! Please excuse any grammar/spelling issues because I stayed up SUPER late to get this all to you. Please review if you liked it! Sayuri's little kwami belly is rumbling!


	20. Once and For All

**Chapter 20: Once and For All**

Hawkmoth made his way through the shadows. He never did like heights that much. Leaping over several more rooftops, he landed (none too gently) on the road. He straightened up and examined the street. He lifted the piece of paper in his hand up to the dim streetlamp.

"3031, 3033, 3035," he muttered as he walked down the street. He stopped at a mini-combo house. It was brick and looked ordinary. Jump ropes, bikes, and hula hoops lay strewn around the front steps, showing the youth of many of the occupants.

How to get in was his main problem. Hawkmoth walked up the steps and checked the door handle. As expected, it was locked. He searched for another way in, like a low window. There was nothing convenient. He turned and went behind the building.

There was a rickety fire escape back there. The cobwebs had been broken and brushed away, and several silky strands fluttered loosely in the breeze. Clearly someone had been up or down this recently. Probably the blogger girl, Alya, since she managed to capture footage of Ladybug and Chat Noir in the middle of the night, way past when any sane parents would let their children leave home.

Hawkmoth took a deep breath and started up the fire escape. The black steps blended with the darkness, making the climb even more difficult. With each step, the metal structure would let out a loud creaking sound. He hoped nobody would hear it.

He found an open window and clambered noisily through it, mentally cursing how much noise he was making. This was why he preferred to let the akumatized villains handle stuff like this. But they weren't reliable. If you wanted something done right, you did it yourself.

The butterfly miraculous wielder walked down a hallway, the carpet providing a way to muffle his footsteps. He opened the first door he came to very slowly and peeked inside. Two little girls were lying in a double bed, nestled underneath a pink comforter. One girl rolled over and opened her eyes.

"Oh, it's the butterfly fairy…." she murmured. Hawkmoth froze, but the little girl just rolled back over and started snoring. He hastily shut the door and moved on.

He was far luckier when he opened the next door. The moon had moved beyond the clouds, so there was a bit of light coming through the window. His eyes searched the bed. There was definitely someone in it. Long, red hair spread around the figure's face. Not Adrien. His eyes caught a flash of gold in the corner.

Looking down, he could clearly see his son (well, Chat Noir) curled up in a ball on the ground. A fluffy blanket covered half of him. Next to him, the moonlight shining on her pale face, was a girl with dark hair and twin-pigtails. Ladybug.

Hawkmoth felt a rush of giddiness well up inside of him. Ladybug was right here, right in front of him! Asleep, unaware, and utterly defenseless against him. It was all too easy. He had to hold himself back, lest he rush forward in his haste and thrill and end up waking them all up.

His shadow loomed over Chat Noir's face. He bit his tongue as the boy let out a small whimper as soon as Hawkmoth blocked the moonlight from his face. The Ladybug girl reached over and found Chat's hand in the dark. Chat calmed down almost instantly.

Hawkmoth reached down and ever so carefully slipped the black ring off of Chat's ring finger. A flash of green light nearly blinded him as the transformation was released. He stumbled backwards a bit as he closed his eyes.

A little black kwami popped out of the ring in his hand and skidded across the floor. His yellow-green eyes widened as he recognized the man in front of him. "Hawkmo-Mph!" Hawkmoth grabbed the kwami and clamped his hand around its mouth.

Beneath his feet, Adrien groaned as the pain relieving power of his miraculous stopped. Hawkmoth knew he should leave now. He knew that he needed to get out of there, and that he could take care of Ladybug later. If he waited too long something might screw everything up.

But he just couldn't help himself. He could sense the presence of the other miraculous. So tempting…..

Hawkmoth had been trying to get those darn earrings for two years now. At least twice a week or more for the last two years, the butterfly window would open, he would see victory within his grasp, and then it would slip through his fingers.

He leaned back over. He also wanted to see the girl's face, but that came second. He reached down, his fingertips brushed her ear….

Her blue eyes flew open. Instinct kicking in, she rolled over and leapt to her feet. Hawkmoth gasped and spun around, ready to make his escape. "Tikki, spots on!" A flash of pink light and Ladybug was standing in front of him. Confident, determined, and with a fire in her eyes that told Hawkmoth she wasn't just beating him up to defeat him and save Paris. She had more personal reasons as well.

Ladybug lunged at him. He blocked her punch with his arm and swung his leg around, trying to sweep her off her feet. She jumped over it and back flipped over him, striking out as she landed. Her punch caught him on the nose, and he felt the red stickiness trickling down his face. He kicked out, catching her stomach. She fell backwards, gasping for breath.

He prepared to stomp on her leg, further disabling her, when he felt something heavy crash into his head. Wham! He saw sparks fly, and he backed up a few steps, stunned. Ladybug took the opportunity to kick him in the groin and land a wicked punch on his shoulder.

Alya (who had thrown her lamp at Hawkmoth) stood on her bed and grabbed a book that she had been reading for History. She flung it at Hawkmoth's head, and that hit sent the tall man tumbling to the floor.

Ladybug turned to double check that neither Alya nor Chat (who was lying across the room out of the way) were hurt. Her eyes widened when she realized that Chat was not transformed. Hawkmoth had his miraculous!

Fury course through her veins and she spun around and kicked Hawkmoth in the jaw. Hawkmoth, who had been rising unsteadily to his feet, skidded backwards. In a desperate attempt to distract his attacker, he took the History book and tossed it at Ladybug. She ducked and it clipped her shoulder. Then it was his turn to duck as Alya's math book flew whizzed over his head.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here!" Ladybug called. She didn't try to mask the rage in her voice. She was trembling with fury. She lunged at Hawkmoth again, kicking and punching wherever she got an opening. He desperately blocked her punches and got in a few of his own, but just a few.

"You asked for it!" he heard a female voice yell in the background as he was dodging Ladybug's fists of fury. "Webster's 21st Edition!"

"NO!" Hawkmoth bellowed with rage as a large dictionary slammed into his head, drawing blood and knocking him sideways.

Ladybug saw her opening and took it. The butterfly brooch on his suit must be his miraculous! If they got that, they would have a huge advantage. Plus, it was a lot easier than trying to grab the ring in his pocket.

She reached for the shiny brooch. Hawkmoth looked like he was about to block her, even in his dazed stage, when he let out a yelp. She grabbed the brooch and jerked backwards as a satisfied cat kwami flew out of Hawkmoth's pocket, spitting out pieces of black fabric.

There was a flash of purple light as Hawkmoth's transformation came undone. Ladybug searched his face, giddy to see who she had been trying to defeat for two years. Now she would have a face to the man who had done this to Adrien!

The light died down and she was staring at the very angry face of Gabriel Agreste.

"WHAT?" she and Alya chorused together in shock. Gabriel took advantage of their surprise to shove past Ladybug, who stumbled backwards, and dash out into the hallway towards the open window.

"GET HIM!" Alya shrieked.

Gabriel jumped out the window, clanging the fire escape loudly. Ladybug and Alya rushed out of Alya's room, only to be met with a somewhat immovable force. "ALYA CESAIRE!" They skidded to a stop.

"Oh crap….um, I can explain mom. I-"

"Excuse me madam, but there is an akuma on the loose. He was targeting your daughter. We need to go after him. And I'll have to take her with me!" Ladybug cut in smoothly. Alya's mother's face turned quickly from anger to despair.

"Okay, just keep her safe," Mrs. Césaire relented. She knew how dangerous akumas were and she, like the rest of Paris, respected Ladybug's decisions. Alya and Ladybug dashed towards the window. Ladybug grabbed Alya's waist and tossed her yoyo out the window, using it to swing to the nearest rooftop.

The girls spun around, searching everywhere for movement in the shadows. Gabriel Agreste was nowhere to be seen.

"Let's go to his house! We'll be able to get there before him!" Alya suggested. Ladybug shook her head.

"No way, he'll be expecting that. He could have the whole place booby-trapped. And to think Chat Noir's been living with Hawkmoth his entire life…" Her eyes widened. "Shoot, Adrien!"

They used Ladybug's yoyo to make it safely back inside of the window, where Alya's mother was trying to get her two littlest girls (who had woken up because of all the noise) to go back to sleep. They dashed back into Alya's room, slamming the door behind them.

"Okay, he's still asleep," Ladybug confirmed, laying a hand on Adrien's shoulder. He flinched. A coughing noise made both girls turn their heads.

There, lying on the floor beside the butterfly brooch that Ladybug had dropped, was a sickly looking purple kwami. It coughed again.

" _That's Nooroo, the butterfly kwami_ ," Tikki confirmed. Alya stepped closer and reached out tentatively to tough it. The little kwami shivered. " _He's been neglected for quite some time,_ " Tikki mused in Ladybug's head.

"Food," the little kwami moaned. Alya nodded.

"What kind of food do you want?" she asked. The little kwami stared at her in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe someone would willingly give him food; more or less ask him what kind of food he _wanted_ to eat.

"Do you have any lettuce?" Nooroo squeaked hopefully. Alya nodded and glanced at Marinette, who shrugged and motioned for Alya to go get it. The red head left, muttering about strange kwami food preferences.

As soon as Alya left, Ladybug approached Nooroo and picked the kwami up. "Ladybug," he said feebly. "I-I'm sorry for everything Hawkmoth made me do. I tried to fight it, but-"

"It's okay, Nooroo. Just choose a better wielder next time."

" _Actually, Master Fu chooses miraculous wielder's_ ," Tikki explained to Ladybug. " _Speaking of which, we'll definitely need his help in order to finally defeat Hawkmoth. And now that Adrien doesn't have Plagg's healing powers_ ….."

"I got a whole romaine lettuce leaf," Alya said, coming back into the room. "Sorry we don't have any more. My mom made salads for lunch earlier."

Nooroo's eyes lit up a bit and Ladybug set him on Alya's night stand next to the lettuce. He took several huge bites, chewing rapidly and swallowing almost before he had chewed it up enough. Alya looked back at Ladybug.

"So what now?" she asked.

"Um, we defeat Hawkmoth?" Ladybug said. She sighed. "A lot easier said than done, huh?" She released her transformation.

"Yeah….And what about Adrien?"

"What about him?"

"How are you going to tell him that the person who did this to him was his own father?"

"Damn, I forgot about that….."

The girls sat in silence for a few minutes. The only noise was Nooroo crunching on his romaine leaf. Ladybug let her transformation go and pink light flashed through the room. Tikki went over and sat by Nooroo silently.

"This is going to be a lot harder than I expected," Alya admitted. "I guess saving the world isn't all fun and games."

"Nope."

Adrien stirred slightly in the corner. He moved his hand over, searching for Marinette's. When he couldn't find it, his breath hitched. Marinette crossed the room and laid her hand on his head. He relaxed again.

"You know if we tell him, it'll probably break his heart," Alya sighed.

"Probably."

Marinette closed her eyes. What had she been doing this time last week? Worrying about her Spanish test? How could things have turned so drastically in a matter of six days? She ran her hand over Adrien's scarred cheek. That scar would probably never leave him. It would stay with him for life, taunting him. The knowledge that his father did that to him would leave a scar on his heart. One that wouldn't heal either.

"You know it's the middle of the night," Alya groaned.

"Mm hmm," Marinette responded. The red head pulled out her phone and started scrolling through it, hoping to maybe find Gabriel Agreste's location. If he hadn't gone home it would be easier to ambush him. Marinette stared at the wall.

"Alya?" Marinette asked suddenly, startling the blogger.

"What?"

"This needs to end," Marinette stated firmly.

"Can you be a little more specific?"

"All of this. Paris constantly fearing akuma attacks. Us watching our backs for Hawkmoth. Adrien worrying about being captured or hurt again. This as all Gabriel Agreste's fault. And he's gonna pay."

"Girl, you know it won't be easy. But we can do it!" Alya said, smirking a bit.

"We?"

Alya laughed. "You think you can drag me this far and then just ditch me? Oh no, I am seeing this thing through, even if it kills me!"

"Well okay then. Tomorrow we go visit Master Fu," Marinette said.

"And then?"

"And then we make a plan." Marinette's eyes narrowed determinedly as she stood. "We're gonna take Hawkmoth down, once and for all!"


	21. Family Trouble

**Chapter 21: Family Troubles**

Marinette and Alya decided to sleep for several hours until the sun rose. Alya knew she would have to make up a believable lie for her mother about last night's 'akuma'. Marinette was worried that her parents would make her come home. She had texted them and told them that she and Alya had to finish up a project, hence their two night sleepover. Her mother had texted back and told her that it was fine, but she would be needed at the bakery and couldn't stay for another night.

The girls decided to figure everything out and figure everything out when they weren't totally sleep deprived. This time, they locked Alya's door and window, and Tikki volunteered to keep watch for a few hours. Nooroo looked like he was about to offer the same, but Tikki wouldn't let him. The little butterfly kwami curled and fell asleep.

Marinette went to check on Adrien (who was so exhausted he had slept through all of the Hawkmoth ruckus without a problem.) She brushed his golden bangs out of his face. He twitched and wrinkled his nose, making her giggle. She immediately frowned. How was she going to tell him that the one person he wanted love from the most had tortured him cruelly?

She didn't think she was going to be able to sleep much, but the next thing she knew Alya was shaking her awake and there was light streaming through the window. "Marinette wake up! We have a serious problem!"

She bolted upright. Alya's mother was standing in the doorway, tapping her foot impatiently and holding her phone. The look on her face was a mixture of shock, disgust, and surprise. " , I can explain! My parents said-"

"I know, they just called me!" Alya's mother was a world renowned chef. She was a very bold and headstrong person, like Alya, but she hardly spoke unless necessary. And she hardly ever spoke roughly. "Now would you like to explain THE MISSING MODEL BOY IN YOUR BEDROOM?"

"SHHHH!" Marinette and Alya said at the same time. If anyone heard that, there was no way they could prevent Adrien from being returned to his home, to his father, and to Hawkmoth.

"Don't shush me!" Mrs. Cesaire snapped at them. "Get downstairs, both of you. Wake up the boy. Marinette, I've called your parents. You both have a lot of explaining to do!"

Marinette visibly paled. "D-did you c-call Adrien's f-father?" she stuttered. Alya's mother shook her head.

"Not yet. I'm giving you two ten minutes to explain what the hell is going on before I call the police and Mr. Agreste. Then you will tell them what is going on as well!"

Alya had shrunk back. She had never heard her mother curse before. Not ever. In a way, it was one of the most terrifying things on earth. She gulped. "Um, should we really wake him up? He's badly hurt." Mrs. Cesaire's expression changed from anger to questioning and a bit of worry.

"What? Let me see?"

Alya pulled her blanket off of Adrien and tossed it back onto the bed. Tikki and Nooroo peeked out from underneath the bed. Thankfully, they had hidden before they were spotted. Mrs. Cesaire nearly recoiled when she caught sight of the bloody bandage around Adrien's middle, and the one on his leg. She also noted the several other bandages and bruises all over his body and the scar on his face.

"How did he get hurt?" she asked. "We need to take him to the hospital right now!"

"No mom!" Alya yelled. Mrs. Cesaire glared at her daughter.

"Alya Cesaire, this is no time to-" The doorbell ringing downstairs cut her off. "Fine, you will explain this to Marinette's parents as well and then we will take Adrien Agreste to the hospital. No arguing! Downstairs! Now!" Mrs. Cesaire pointed down the stairs. Marinette and Alya had no choice but to defeatedly shuffle down the stairs. Mrs. Cesaire followed them.

Tikki motioned for Nooroo to stay and watch over Adrien, who Mrs. Cesaire decided not to awaken, in case he was too badly hurt or he tried to get away. Or worse, he and the girls had planned some big lie that he had to help with.

Marinette's parents were waiting downstairs anxiously. They enveloped Marinette in a bear hug when they saw her. "Marinette, what's wrong? We had to close down the bakery to come over here! Mrs. Cesaire said it was urgent!"

"Marinette, Alya," Mrs. Cesaire said calmly and quietly. "Perhaps you would like to explain to all of us why a very injured Adrien Agreste is laying on Alya's bedroom floor?"

There was a long, shocked silence.

"Um, not really," Alya said quietly. The look her mother gave her shut her up. The girls looked at each other despairingly. Tikki frowned from where she was spying from the stairs. There was literally no way out of this one. She might as well make it easier on the girls, even if Master Fu got angry at her later. But he was a very understanding man.

"Hello everybody!" she called cheerfully as she flew down from her hiding place. "I'm Ladybug's kwa-"

"TIKKI!" Marinette yelled, absolutely horrified. Mrs. Cesaire stared in shock. Tom looked mildly confused. Sabine just smiled knowingly.

"Ladybug's kwami," Tikki finished, giving Marinette a 'it's okay' look. Marinette sighed.

"Mom, dad, I have a confession to make," she said timidly. They were going to be so angry at her for this! They were going to ground her for the rest of her life and take away her miraculous and then Paris would be destroyed and she might never see Chat/Adrien again! Not to mention Alya and-

"You're Ladybug?" Sabine offered with a smile. "Darling, I already know. I've known for a year and a half now. I'm not stupid, and you have to admit it was pretty obvious. Whenever you missed a class in school, Ladybug was always on the news saving Paris. It added up pretty quickly. Plus," she winked at Tom, "You don't rant quietly when talking to your bug thing, er, Tikki, was it?"

Marinette just stared. "Did you know too, dad?" she said weakly. He nodded.

Mrs. Cesaire took a deep breath. "I had a sneaking suspicion after that late night wake up call, despite the fact I did not know you were at my house. But seriously girls, did you really think you would be able to hide this forever? That none of Alya's sibling, or me for that matter, would go into her room? That Marinette's parents wouldn't realize her daughter was gone? You've made a huge mess..."

"We know," the girls mumbled, staring at their feet.

"I don't even know where we should start," Alya sighed.

"Okay first off, Adrien is Chat Noir, correct?" Tom inquired. Alya nodded. Tikki flew over to Marinette and perched on her shoulder. "And he's hurt?" Alya nodded again.

Little by little, Marinette and Alya poured forth their tale. They jumped back and forth through time periods, threw in added details at the last second, and corrected each other a lot. Between the two of them and Tikki's rather unhelpful help at explaining, the adults were still a little confused, but they understood the basic story nonetheless.

"And then we fell asleep and my mother attacked us. The End!" Alya finished. Mrs. Cesaire raised one eyebrow at the ending, but didn't comment. The five people (and one kwami) sat in silence.

"Well then, first things first, should I go take a look at Adrien's injuries?" Sabine offered. Mrs. Cesaire nodded and the two ladies headed upstairs.

"Do you girls want me to drive you to Master whats-his-name's place?" Tom asked.

"Master Fu," Alya corrected. "Yeah, that would be good. We need to stop Hawkmoth before he uses the cat miraculous to destroy all of Paris!"

Marinette had to tell most of the story from her perspective, but she said as little as possible. Her mind was a mess. She couldn't deal with this much stress. Adrien is hurt. It's her fault. Hawkmoth is Gabriel Agreste. Hawkmoth has the cat miraculous. Not to mention the insane amount of school she was missing... " _Don't you dare think about that, Marinette!_ " she mentally scolded herself.

A high pitched scream rang through the air. Marinette took off, running before she even realized it out of pure Ladybug instinct. Maybe Hawkmoth was back! "Tikki, spots on!" Tom and Alya could only watch in awe as she transformed. This was the first time Tom had seen his daughter transform, and it brought reality crashing down on him. Alya would probably never get over the adrenaline rush from seeing her best friend become Ladybug.

Ladybug opened the door to see a wide eyed Adrien standing in the middle of the room, tottering dangerously. The panic in his eyes died down as soon as he caught sight the familiar black and red clad figure.

"Ladybug," he sighed. She rushed across the room and out his arm around her shoulders, supporting him and moving him to sit down on the bed.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm...fine..." he panted. "They just...surprised...me..." The pain that was still lanced through his voice made her cringe.

" _I'm such a selfish, stupid, mean, horrible_ -"

"Would you mind if we took a look at your wounds?" Sabine asked. Adrien nervously glanced back and forth between Mrs. Cesaire and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. Ladybug was confused. Adrien would normally be so accepting when offered help, and he never had a problem with attention.

"It'll be fine, chaton," she whispered into his ear. He leaned into her shoulder. It felt weird to be interacting with Adrien while her suit was on. Normally, she felt more confident in her mask. Now that she knew Adrien could see right through it, she felt stupid.

"Wait a second!" Adrien said. His breath hitched a bit. "Where is my ring?" He looked at her with eyes wide and full of panic. "Where is it?"

Ladybug took a deep breath. When she looked up, both Mrs. Cesaire and her mother had left the room. They understood that she and Adrien needed some time alone.

"Umm, about that..." she chuckled nervously. Adrien stiffened.

"Where is it?" he snapped.

"Hawkmoth has it!" a small voice from under the bed shouted. Nooroo came fluttering into view. Adrien's eyes widened and his pupils shrank a bit. He started to tremble a bit. Ladybug glared at Nooroo, who shrugged apologetically.

"No," Adrien whispered.

"Adrien, I'm really sorry! I tried to stop him! I really did!" Ladybug pleaded. "This is all my fault! I couldn't get you out of his lair and now he has your miraculous and-"

She stopped short. Adrien wasn't even listening. His head was still resting in her shoulder, and tears were flowing silently down his face. Ladybug wrapped her arms around him. He fell weakly into her embrace. He didn't move to hug her back. He just sat limply in her arms, crying his heart out.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. He didn't answer.

"What about Plagg?" he asked finally. Ladybug looked at Nooroo.

"Erm, her should probably be okay," Nooroo said. "I mean, I'm fine. Just exhausted and starving. I've been forced to do Hawkmoth's evil bidding for years and it hasn't affected me. He'll be fine until we can get him back."

"I bet Hawkmoth doesn't have any Camembert," Adrien muttered, brushing away tears. "I just- I can't lose my miraculous. Not just because it's my responsibility, but because it's my only escape from...this." He gestured to himself.

Ladybug nodded. "We'll get it back, chaton. I promise." The promise felt a little wrong on her tongue. So many things could go wrong. But now that she made the promise, she would keep it or die trying.

"So...do they know?" he asked after a second.

"Mmm hmm," Ladybug responded.

"Great." Ladybug couldn't tell whether his reply was happy, sarcastic, or a mixture of both. She bit her lip. If she was going to tell him about Hawkmoth, now was her chance. It was perfect. She opened her mouth, but before she could, Adrien turned and hugged her.

"Thank you, m'lady. I don't know what I would do without you."

Ladybug didn't respond at first. She hugged him back tightly (being careful of his wounds). Her mind was still kinda shrieking, " _This is Adrien Agreste hugging you_!" But all of her other senses reminded her that it was Chat Noir. His blonde hair, which was missing his cat ears, but they might as well be there. His slow blinking, brilliant green eyes. How could she have not seen he was Chat sooner?

He wouldn't let go of her. Ladybug didn't want him to let go. Eventually, she leaned back and rested against the head board of the bed. Adrien snuggled up to her side, burying his head in the crook of her neck while she stroked his soft hair. They stayed like that for awhile.

"Mari-" Alya stopped short when she saw Ladybug lying with Adrien on the bed, both of them clinging to each other like they would never let go. "We'll be leaving to go see Master Fu in fifteen minutes," Alya softly informed Ladybug. The girl blinked in response. Then Alya motioned for Nooroo to follow her down the stairs, mouthing 'lettuce' as encouragement. The girl and the kwami left.

Ladybug smiled softly as she looked back down at her partner. His eyes were closed, and if he had been transformed she knew he would be purring right now. She scratched his chin a bit, and he tilted his head up so she could reach it better. "Silly kitty," she muttered. The soft smile he sent her in response made the guilt she felt tear her heart into shreds.

######################################################################################################################################################################

Gabriel Agreste stood in his office. Giddily, he reached into his pocket and withdrew the glistening silver ring. Plagg came out of it and made a dive for it. Gabriel snatched him out of the air.

"You are bound to this miraculous, kwami," Gabriel informed Plagg, who rolled his eyes. No duh. "Which means that I am now your master. You must obey me!"

"Yada, yada, yada," Plagg said, yawning. "Now where's my Camembert?"

Gabriel frowned, slipping the ring onto his finger. "Plagg, claws out!"

######################################################################################################################################################################

Master Fu sat on his mat in the middle of his DoJo. Wayzz sat next to him. Both the kwami and the master had their eyes closed, reflecting on their past choices in the flickering candlelight. Suddenly, a rush of wind blew through. The candle went out. Master Fu abruptly opened his eyes.

"Wayzz, I felt a shift in the balance of the miraculous holders," he said gravely. "I feel there is something terrible looming in our future."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope that satisfies you Ladrien fans! That was hard to write... Ladrien is not my area of expertise. Anyway, things are about to get crazy, so hold onto your kwamis! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Have a great day!


	22. Master Fu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un-related side note: Someone offered to do fan art for me, which is so totally awesome and amazing! It's so cool that people are willing to spend their time to make amazing works of art for things! If you ever feel inspired by Secrets and Betrayals to make some fan art, make sure to tag me on tumblr ( LilyTheNinjaGirl) or Deviantart (LeoDonnieMikeyRaph). I'll be sure to leave a link to your art work in the A/N of a future chapter ;)

**Chapter 22: Master Fu**

After a little while, Adrien ended up falling asleep. Knowing that she was using Tikki's energy for no good reason, Ladybug released her transformation. She slid out from underneath Adrien, carefully slid a pillow underneath his head, and tossed a blanket back over him. Then Marinette stretched and headed downstairs.

Unsurprisingly, her mother and Mrs. Cesaire were sitting around the kitchen table drinking tea. Alya was standing by the counter, having a heated argument with Nooroo on whether Batman or Superman would win in a fight. Alya argued strongly for Batman, and Nooroo was insistent that Superman would be the victor. In between sentences, Nooroo was crunching away on a lettuce leaf.

"Clearly," Nooroo said in a very annoyed tone of voice, "Superman would win. His only weakness is kryptonite, and there's no way Batman could ever get his hands on that!"

"Yeah, but Batman has experience working with scientists! I bet he could ally with Joker or someone to make or get something along the lines of kryptonite! And he has a TON of cool objects and gadgets that Superman has never had to face before!"

"But Superman has super powers! Laser vision, he can fly, super strength, etc.!"

"So? He's stuck up and over confident! What good are super powers if you don't have the brains to use them?"

"What? Batman is the stuck up rich boy! And he can't do anything without his little sidekick!"

"At least he could at least be a real thing! Having superpowers is impossible!"

"Ahem, Alya?" Marinette interrupted them. Alya turned to her friend, who raised an eyebrow and gestured to Tikki and her earrings.

"Are you telling me Superman is a miraculous wielder?" Alya said, putting her hands on her hips. Marinette shook her head and smiled.

"Come on, let's go visit Master Fu. Adrien is asleep upstairs. He'll probably stay asleep unless you wake him, which I wouldn't do if I were you. He'd probably freak out again."

"Poor boy," Mrs. Cesaire sighed. Marinette's mother muttered something about possible PTSD symptoms in teenagers. Alya stood and Nooroo followed her. The girls and the kwamis walked into the living room where Tom was watching the news.

"Ready to go, girls?" he asked.

"Hey, what about me?" Nooroo protested.

"And guy," Tom added, giving the kwami a strange look. Nooroo grinned with satisfaction.

"I think some of Hawkmoth's obnoxiousness rubbed off on you. That or you were hanging out with Plagg too much before you became Gabriel Agreste's slave," Tikki said with a laugh, shaking her little head. The kwami's hid in Marinette's purse as they all climbed into the car and drove away.

############################################################################################################################################################

"Finally, after all this time! The cat miraculous!" Chat Noir (well, the Gabriel Agreste version, anyway) cackled. He stretched out his fingers, feeling the sensation of destruction running through his veins.

" _I sincerely hope my bad luck will rub off on you_ ," Plagg spoke angrily from inside of his head. The black cat kwami was beyond bitter and, although he was forced to hold the transformation, he was making as little effort as possible to supply his new Chat Noir with power. There was honestly nothing Plagg could do at this point. But that didn't stop the kwami from hating every second he was inhabited with an evil host.

"Shut up, kwami!" Chat Noir growled. It would be weird if anyone saw him now. He looked so unlike the previous Chat Noir. He (like Adrien) retained his hair and eye color. His neatly combed back hair was a little longer and a little wilder, but it stayed combed back. Two cat ears were perched atop his head.

Other than that, the suit was identical, just with a larger person wearing it. The suit was tailored to magically fit whoever was wearing it, so nothing was a hindrance. The tail would take some getting used to, Gabriel mused. But other than that everything would be fine. His baton was very much like his old staff, so he had no problem adjusting to a different weapon.

" _I hope you trip down the stairs and land on your head_ ," Plagg growled.

"I said SHUT UP!" Chat Noir roared.

" _De-transform and make me_!" Plagg taunted. Chat Noir growled, but ignored the annoying, wheedling voice in his head. He didn't have time for this.

Chat Noir made his way to the window and slipped outside his house. He knew that Ladybug would be expecting an attempt to get her miraculous. She would also be guarding the butterfly miraculous carefully. But Gabriel had a different plan.

Master Fu was the current guardian of the miraculous. He was very, very wise. But he was also very, very old. Such an old man couldn't put up too much of a fight, could he? Gabriel would attack. With his newfound powers as Chat Noir, he was now more prepared for hand-to-hand combat instead of standing in the shadows and letting others do his dirty work. If he managed to steal the remaining miraculous, his combined powers would be unstoppable.

Chat Noir (it still felt weird to call himself that) hesitated, thinking about the peacock miraculous that was safely nestled away in his safe. He could use the peacock powers to help him. But he was reluctant. If he failed, he couldn't bear for his wife's miraculous to be taken from him. Deciding against using it, he leapt away. The fact that it was broad daylight now would make this much harder. But it was a risk that Gabriel was willing to take. He had to get her back. He had to get him back. He could fix his family. And he was going to do it. Or he would die trying.

############################################################################################################################################################

Marinette stepped out of her father's car, slamming the door behind her. All of Paris bustled busily around them. People strolled around pleasantly, shopping, hurrying to meetings, heading to the park to meet their friends. It all seemed foreign to Marinette and Alya, who had experienced far too much in the last four hours for their lives to ever be that normal again.

They headed up the front steps, noticing the flower pots that decorated the outside of the building, and knocked. After a few seconds, a man opened the door. He was wearing a red and white Hawaiian print shirt. His wrinkled face and grey hair clearly showed his old age, but his smile was warm and inviting.

"Come inside, Ladybug. I've been expecting you," he greeted. Marinette gasped.

"You're the old man I helped in the street! And you healed Tikki when she was sick!"

"Indeed," the man said, nodding. "I am Master Fu, but I think you knew that. I have already met your friend here." He gestured to Alya.

The two girls followed Master Fu into the main room of his house. They took a seat on some woven mats and accepted the cups of tea he handed them. Tikki and Nooroo immediately flew out of Marinette's purse. They were joined by a little green turtle kwami.

"This is Wayzz," Master Fu explained, motioning to the green kwami, who bobbed his head in greeting. "Now, please explain what is going on. Through my meditations, I have sensed a shift in the balance. I am very worried."

Marinette and Alya re-told the story of the past week. After their explanation to the adults, this time was much clearer and made a lot more sense. Master Fu nodded at each point. He grew more and more troubled as the girls went on. Once they were finished, he sighed.

"I was young," he started. "I was young, and I was impatient. I was not as careful in choosing miraculous wielders. Wayzz tried to guide me as best he could, but I was not always eager to listen." He smiled warmly, as if remembering some such instance. Then his features sunk back into a frown.

"I chose a young man and a young women to be the next peacock and butterfly. Gabriel Agreste, and Emily Dausi.* They were young, but I was confident in my choice. The young man was a bit of a trouble maker, but very serious and sullen. The girl was quite well-behaved, but joyful and free spirited. She brought out the best in him. I thought it was an excellent match."

"It is not your fault master, it was an excellent match. How were we to know that she was to die young in battle? And how were we to know that Gabriel would react like he did?" Wayzz comforted. Master Fu sighed and stroked his chin.

"Very true. But I still feel as though the blame lies with me. Anyway, it happened as Wayzz said. The couple had married and had a child. But one day, a disaster struck. There was a serial killer running around in Paris. He had taken several people hostage. Emily knew she couldn't live with herself if she did nothing. Gabriel didn't want her to go. He didn't want to go. He told her to let the police handle it, and that they shouldn't ruin the happiness that the small family had."

"But she went anyway," breathed Marinette. "And she died, didn't she?"

"Yes." Master Fu bowed his head. "She saved the hostages, but she was mortally wounded. She managed to get back to her home. She died in Gabriel's arms. That moment changed him somehow. He was obsessed with getting her back. He eventually found an ancient book in Tibet. A book that explained how to bring her back using the two most powerful miraculous, the cat and the ladybug. He vowed to bring her back, no matter what the cost."

"And so he started using his powers to get our miraculous," Marinette finished. Master Fu nodded.

"He has the cat miraculous and the peacock miraculous, which could prove to be disastrous. But we have the butterfly miraculous. And we also have the rest of them," Master Fu told them.

"The rest of them?" Alya asked eagerly, her inner reporter taking over. Master Fu nodded and stood, walking over to an old phonograph that sat in the corner. He entered a very complex passcode that was beyond the girls' understanding and a box opened. In it were two miraculous. One was a yellow and black comb, and the other was a necklace very similar to Lila's. The fox and the bee miraculous.

"Wow," Alya said, looking in awe. Marinette wanted to reach out and touch them, but something prevented her from doing so. There was a strange power radiating off of them. Something that both scared and thrilled her.

"With them, we can defeat him. It will take every ounce of strength and courage we have. It will take lots of careful planning. But it might just be possible."

"So, what do we do first?" Marinette asked nervously.

"First," Wayzz said, fluttering up behind them, "We must find proper wielders for the last few miraculous. Our decision will have to be rushed, but we can't be hasty, if that makes sense."

"No, it doesn't," Alya confirmed. Master Fu smiled, turning to her.

"And you Alya, you seem to have quite the characteristics I look for in a miraculous user. You are brave, very loyal, and determined to accomplish whatever you set your mind to. You stand up to those who try and bring you and others down. You are very caring for those you consider friends, no matter how exasperating they can be at times." He winked at Marinette.

"You have your faults," Wayzz picked the speech back up. "You can be very rash when running into dangerous situations. You have an overwhelming instinct as a reporter, but I have no doubt that you can keep your identity and the identity of others safe. And it is already clear that you work well with Ladybug and Chat Noir."

The smile on Alya's face could not be matched. She grew more and more giddy as Master Fu and Wayzz went on.

"Are you saying-" she began in a whisper. Master Fu cut her off.

"That I would like you to receive a miraculous? Yes, I am. Nooroo, come over here," he ordered. The butterfly kwami flew over. "Nooroo here is also extremely loyal and willing to work hard. However, he is not quick to rush into battle, which will keep you from making hasty and rash decisions. Your main talent, Alya, is your ability to pick apart clues and build astonishing theories. Such talents would allow you to use the butterfly powers to make excellent champions. You two would be an ideal match."

Alya nearly screamed in excitement as Marinette withdrew the butterfly brooch from her bag. "Ladybug, would you like to do the honors?" Master Fu asked. Marinette nodded. She walked over and proudly pinned the brooch on Alya's shirt. Nooroo happily flapped his wings in excitement.

"Of course, I'm not going to call you Hawkmoth," Marinette said, smiling and shaking her head. "That sounds too gross and evil. I'll call you Papillon."

"Perfect," Master Fu agreed. Wayzz nodded.

"Oh…my….GOODNESS! I can't believe I'm a MIRACULOUS WEILDER! And I'll have super powers and everything! EEEEEEHHHH!"

Master Fu covered his ears ad Alya shrieked and jumped up and down. Marinette grimaced and Tikki, who tried to remain polite, couldn't help but wince slightly. Nooroo was too excited to care! He finally got to go back to the good old days when he wasn't forced to use his powers for evil! He started doing gymnastics in the air, flipping and twirling around.

Suddenly, Marinette's phone started ringing. She pressed the send button and lifted it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Marinette, we went to check on him and he wasn't there!" her mother's panicked voice came on the other end of the phone.

"What are you talking about?" Marinette asked, her heart starting to pound slightly.

"Adrien! We went upstairs just to make sure he was okay! We weren't going to wake him up or anything. But when we got there, he was gone!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Emily Agreste's maiden name 'Gaudi', is literally 'peacock' in Japanese.
> 
> Also, I know nothing about Batman or Superman, so forgive me if Alya and Nooroo's argument is completely flawed. It was meant to be ridiculous anyway ;)


	23. Where In the World Is That Cat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick side note: A lot of people have asked me about why Alya is called Papillon while Gabriel was called Hawkmoth when they are the exact same thing, and people have pointed out several things about miraculous (both location and function) that don't really match up with the exact details of the show.
> 
> This fic is kind of a combination of cannon ideas, fandom created ideas, and self-thought up ideas. It's a big jumbled mess. So if anything seems inaccurate or doesn't really make sense, there's a 99% chance that it was on purpose. Good? Good!
> 
> Anyway, I won't delay you any longer. Enjoy!

**Chapter 23: Where in the World is That Cat?**

"Adrien! We went upstairs just to make sure he was okay! We weren't going to wake him up or anything. But when we got there, he was gone!"

Marinette's brain exploded.

"WHAT?" she screeched into the phone. Alya whipped her head up from the brooch she was examining and Nooroo stopped doing cartwheels in the air. Master Fu looked at her, extremely concerned. "What do you mean GONE? Are you sure he isn't in the bathroom or something?"

She bit her lip so hard it started to bleed. " _Oh my goodness. Hawkmoth has him! I never should have left him! I did and now he'll be killed and it'll be all my fault and I'll never be able to forgive myself! I should've given up my Ladybug powers before this could have happened! I should have taken him with us! I should have-_ "

"I'm positive he's not here!" her mother's frantic voice from the other side of the phone snapped her thoughts back into reality. "We checked everywhere! He's gone!"

" _No no no no no! He's going to die! He's probably already dead! I can't lose him! No no no no no no no no NO NO NO!_ " Marinette nearly started convulsing.

Alya snatched the phone out of her best friend's hand. "Mrs. Dupain-Cheng? Yeah, I gathered that. Marinette and I will be right over! Were you downstairs the entire time? Right, right. Well, figure out how he got past you. He couldn't have transformed, he doesn't have his miraculous. His ring. No, I don't have time to explain. Just try to figure out how he was kidnapped. Thanks!" Alya hung up and turned to her friend. Marinette seemed to be glued to the floor, her blue eyes fixated on the wall. Her breathing was uneven.

"Mari, he'll be alright," Alya offered, smiling timidly at her friend and rubbing Marinette's back with her hand. Marinette let out a shuddering breath. She spun around.

"No he won't! Can't you see! I LEFT HIM AGAIN! I should have stayed with him! He needed me! WHY DIDN'T I STAY?"

"You needed to be here! You left him there so that he wouldn't get any more hurt!" Alya shook Marinette gently. "Besides, maybe he wasn't kidnapped! He was acting strangely... Maybe he went somewhere in purpose!"

"Yeah right! Where would he go?" Marinette asked. "And why?"

######################################################################################################################################################################

Adrien hadn't been as asleep as the girls had believed him to be. He did sleep through Hawkmoth stealing his Miraculous. He incredibly angry about that. Part of him wanted to blame Marinette. Wasn't she expecting the attack? Couldn't she have done more to stop Hawkmoth?

The other half of him knew he wasn't being fair. Both girls were exhausted from taking care of him in the middle of the night. Not to mention that Marinette had probably been worrying about him and losing sleep for the four days that Hawkmoth had him. Right?

She kept mentioning that everything was her fault. He tried to comprehend why, but his mind was a mess. Words jumbled themselves together. He kept seeing things out of the corners of his eye. And the memories assaulted him. He was unable to get any relief from them. The knife... the blood... Hawkmoth's cruel laugh...

Adrien had found comfort in sleep. Sleep was were the monsters of the daytime couldn't get to him. It was relaxing and comforting. It also offered relief from the horrible pain that he felt every waking moment. But after that nightmare...

He had faked falling asleep in Ladybug's arms. He just closed his eyes and let himself relax and cherish the fact that his previous dreams had come true. At least in a way. He knew Ladybug's secret identity. He might have a chance to be loved by her. She was hugging him tightly and messing with his hair.

After Marinette's mother had told her it was time to go and she left him, Adrien sat staring at the ceiling for quite a while. He was worried about Plagg. Really worried. Was Hawkmoth giving him enough Camembert? He still wasn't really sure if the cat was actually a glutton like he believed or if Plagg just really did need a lot of food to keep Adrien's transformations active.

His hand felt naked without his ring. In a way, he felt naked. Stripped of his powers, his freedom, and the only way he could provide help to anyone. He kept clenching and unclenching his fist, partly to keep him sane and partly because maybe, just maybe, when he clenched his fingers down he would feel the cool sensation of his ring.

But Adrien eventually snapped himself out of his stupor. This was no time to sit around! Adrien Agreste wouldn't have complained about being left out of the action. Adrien Agreste would have done everything someone else told him to do. Adrien Agreste would would have sat on his butt and done nothing. But he was sick of Adrien Agreste. But what could he do without his miraculous?

Adrien began to ponder his options, and everything that had happened over the last few months. He remembered the book he had taken from his father's safe. It showed several more miraculous, ones that he didn't even know existed. He strained his memory. There was a fox of course... and a butterfly... and a peacock...

Peacock? Adrien's head snapped up as he remembered something. There was a pin in his father's safe as well. It had looked like a spread out peacock tail. He sucked in a breath. Could it be... a miraculous? He thought about it giddily. If he could somehow get inside of his father's house and take it, he could use it to help get back his own cat miraculous and defeat Hawkmoth! Why his father even had a miraculous or such a book in his safe was a question that Adrien had been puzzling over for a while. He shook the thought from his mind.

The most important question was how he was going to sneak inside of his father's mansion? Surely the press and the police would be keeping a close eye on the place. If he was spotted... His father would surely lock him inside his room with a heavy bodyguard, and the lack of his miraculous (and the large amounts of reporters surely waiting outside to hear the story) would prevent him from leaving.

He needed someone else to go in for him. Somebody who could still get away if he was caught... The problem was, he couldn't think of anyone at first. If he contacted any of the assistants and employees of his father, they would immediately report him. Then his face lit up. He knew exactly who to ask!

Adrien made his way to the door. He heard the muffled voices of Mrs. Cesaire and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng downstairs, talking about how dangerous it was to be a superhero these days. He looked at the window down the hallway. Crossing his fingers for luck (Hey, without Plagg he might actually have some, which made him smile slightly and sobered his mood at the same time) he peeked out the window. There was a rickety fire escape. A way out!

He used his good arm to open the window, since his other arm was wrapped up and continued to throb no matter what he did. He looked down the fire escape. Climbing down that thing looked extremely stupid, especially with how tender his stomach wound still was. He took a deep breath and slung his leg over the window sill.

To tell the dramatic story of how he ever managed to get to the bottom of that fire escape would take way too long. It involved a lot of grunting and groaning. He had to stop every few feet, panting with exhaustion. Adrien knew he was over exerting himself. It took everything he had to keep from screaming in pain or collapsing in exhaustion.

When he finally reached the ground, he was sure he couldn't go any further. He kept his good arm wrapped tightly around his stomach, to stop the blood he knew had sneaked through his bandages. He limped along, as his left leg was killing him.

Adrien felt a twinge of guilt when he thought about the panic that he had was probably causing Marinette, Alya, and the adults. But if he told them what his plan was, they would either tell him that there was no possible way for his father to have the real peacock miraculous, or they would go get it and leave him at Alya's house to sit there and do nothing.

It took a miserable half hour for him to limp all the way to the park, keeping his face covered with his bandaged hand. Thankfully, most people were in school or at work. He finally found who he was looking for.

Nino was slumped on a park bench, clearly on lunch recess, eating a sandwich. He looked really upset. His foot was tapping along to the music that was blasting from his orange headphones. Adrien snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Nino jumped a foot in the air and spun around, nearly dropping his sandwich.

"ADRIEN?" the boy shouted. Adrien shook his head furiously and ducked behind a tree as a few little kids looked over at Nino. Nino followed Adrien behind the tree. "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" Nino whisper-shouted.

"Nino, it's a really long story," Adrien gasped. "I can't explain, but I need your help. You can't tell anyone about me!"

Nino finally noticed how pale his best friend looked, and the fact that Adrien was shaking and looked like he was about to collapse. He quickly slung an arm around Adrien to help him stand. Then he noticed the blood seeping through the blonde's jacket.

"What happened to you?" Nino hissed.

"Long story," Adrien groaned.

"What now?" Nino asked. Adrien thought for a second.

"Marinette's house," he answered.

"What?"

"Marinette's house. It's only a few minutes away. Let's go there," Adrien explained. Nino nodded, leaning so that he was carrying most of Adrien's weight, which wasn't easy because he was taller than Adrien and not nearly as muscular.

When the two reached Marinette's house, Adrien pulled a safety pin out of his pocket (thank you modeling) and picked the lock on the door quickly (thank you random how-to-pick-a-lock YouTube videos). They went inside.

After helping Adrien sit down on Marinette's couch, Nino dug around in the bathroom and found a minor first aid kit. He wound another layer of gauze around Adrien's stomach. Then he sat down opposite the blonde haired boy, tossing his headphones onto the coffee table. "Explain," Nino demanded.

######################################################################################################################################################################

"Yeah right! Where would he go?" Marinette asked. "And why?" Alya thought about that for a minute.

"Nino," she decided.

"What?" Marinette said, confused. "Why would he go to Nino? Nino has nothing to do with this!"

"Think about it," Alya instructed. "You're confused. You wake up alone and you freak out. Marinette isn't there. You get scared and panic. You manage to sneak away from the adults. Who would you go to?"

"If I was Adrien, then I would go to Nino," Marinette answered, nodding slowly. "Let's call him." Alya pulled out her phone and speed dialed him. After a few rings, Nino picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Nino, what's up?" Alya asked casually.

"Um, nothing much," Nino replied, clearly struggling to sound casual.

"Really? How are you holding up without Adrien to take notes for you?" Alya asked smirking. She listened closely and heard a muffled noise in the background, and then some faint whispering. Nino's voice came back on the phone.

"I...um, I'm totally fine! Listen Al, I gotta go. Bye!" Nino abruptly hung up. Alya shoved her phone into her pocket and looked at Marinette.

"He's totally lying and hiding something," she said. "He didn't ask why you and I haven't been in school for two days."

"But why wouldn't Adrien want to talk to us?" Marinette asked. Alya shrugged.

"Why don't we find Nino and figure it out?" she asked smirking. Marinette knew what she was thinking.

"Fine," she sighed. Alya's face lit up. "Tikki, spots on!"

"YAY!" Alya squealed. She turned to Nooroo. "What's my cool thing I get to say?"

"Wings out," Nooroo told her, looking excited as well.

"Nooroo, WINGS OUT!" Alya shouted a little over-enthusiastically. Nooroo zipped into Alya's brooch and the transformation began. Once the flash of purple light faded, Papillon stood proudly in front of Ladybug and Master Fu.

She looked very different from Hawkmoth. She was wearing a light purple blouse and pants (which seemed to connect at the waist into one solid kind-of jumpsuit instead of two separate pieces of fabric. Her glasses turned purple and became shaped like Hawkmoth's signature mask. She didn't have a hood over her head.

She also wore darker purple knee-high boots and elbow-length gloves. A brown cane was attached to a dark purple belt around her waist. Flowing out from behind her was a shimmering clear piece of fabric that was split into two pieces. Papillon found, to her delight, that they were wings! "I HAVE WINGS!"

"Well how else were you supposed to be able to keep up with Ladybug while crossing the rooftops?" Master Fu asked, chuckling. "You know what I find fascinating?"

"What?" Ladybug and Papillon asked at the same time.

"The miraculous suits are altered by whoever wears them into the best possible suit for that particular wielder. For instance, don't you think that if Ladybug and Chat Noir as you appear today were seen in Ancient Rome, people would be suspicious? Each suit adjusts to the time period and the person," Master Fu explained.

"So every user gets a different look?" Papillon asked. "Cool!"

"Yes," Wayzz nodded. "If Ladybug was a boy, then the suit would have been altered to fit him and suit a more masculine body shape. The same would happen if Chat Noir were a girl."

"Huh," Ladybug said, pondering that for a few minutes. "I never really thought about it. Anyway, let's go!"

The two super heroines dashed out the door and bounded away across the rooftops. Papillon looked a bit clumsy at first, but once she spread her wings and got used to using them, she took off with a loud whoop, yelling "THIS IS SO AWESOME!"

Master Fu chuckled, not noticing the dark shadow lurking above him, poised and ready to strike.


	24. Complications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to remind you all of the T rating on this fic. There's character death in this chapter, and Plagg has a trashy mouth for a sec. Just to warn whoever wants/needs warning. Enjoy!

**Chapter 24: Complications**

Master Fu chuckled as he watched the two girls disappear over the rooftops. He shook his head, knowing that now that the battle with Hawkmoth had started, it would not end until someone's blood was shed. He just hoped and prayed that none of the children would get hurt.

It was almost cruel that these young teens, people who had their entire lives before them, had to be dragged down by responsibilities and choices. They should be free to dream, make mistakes, fall in love, and find their path in life. But for Adrien, Marinette, and even Alya, their paths had already been chosen when they accepted their miraculous.

Not to mention several other people that Master Fu already knew would be involved before this battle was over. They would come to help. Some eagerly, some tentatively. Some had been destined their whole lives to be a hero. Others would have to reconcile with their past life before they became worthy of the honor.

But of course, when a great evil arrives you find out who your friends are. You find out who will stand with you until the end of your life. Some of the people who rise to call may be surprising. They may be the last people on earth you would want to have your back. But they will be there.

Master Fu sighed and sat down on his rocking chair. Wayzz flew next to him and sat down in a flower pot, hiding himself from the people who passed by. "Ah, Wayzz. Human nature is such a strange thing," he mused, stroking his chin

"I must agree with you, Master," Wayzz replied.

"They're so young."

"Partly."

"Marinette and Adrien are the best Chat Noir and Ladybug we've ever selected!"

"Oh I know," Master Fu agreed, nodding. "But will they be willing to accept those who will rise to the challenge and help them in time of trouble?"

"They accepted the new Papillon..."

"Alya is Marinette's best friend. The girls trust each other. Adrien doesn't even know about it."  
"Very true."

"I should go and consult the book one last time. I admit even I'm rather hesitant about some of the Chosen," Master Fu said, standing up and stretching. He picked up Wayzz and headed inside, shutting the door behind him. He was never aware of the person watching him.

############################################################################################################################################################

Chat Noir, comfortably perched on the roof, had heard everything.

His original intention was to attack immediately while he had the element of surprise. But seeing Ladybug and a girl wielding _his_ miraculous step out of the shop and disappear from view, he was curious. Was Master Fu giving out more miraculous?

Chat began to think. The old man would have to find miraculous wielders quickly. The ancient book that used to be in Chat's possession had always outlined who the miraculous wielders were supposed to be. But he had never been able to decode it. No doubt Master Fu could read the strange language.

But the book (as he had forced Nooroo to explain) had only _outlined_ the next wielders briefly. Basically, it was like a list of people that had their 'resume's' checked and were found somewhat suitable for the job. But they still needed a job interview to really know for sure and be safe before they were hired. Usually, multiple people were listed as possible wielders for one miraculous.

Then again, Master Fu had selected Ladybug and the old Chat Noir without the book, proving that he did know what he was doing and he had a good instinct. But still, the chosen wielders were young. And when you were young, you could be influenced more easily. Heck, even an adult could be influenced.

Maybe he could convince the next wielders to turn to his side and help him capture the rest of the miraculous! He could promise them unspeakable powers in paradise. A paradise he would create. He could bring back loved ones, he could undo wrong and make it right. Why wouldn't they join him in his quest?

Chat Noir smiled. It looked a lot different than the previous Chat Noir's smile. That smile had been a pearly whit mischievous smirk, with a pair of sparkling emerald eyes to match. This Chat Noir's smile had something diabolical in it, and his pale blue eyes showed the storm that dwelled inside of him.

He crept inside of the house, chuckling inwardly because the door wasn't even locked. That poor unsuspecting fool. He peeked around the corner. Master Fu had his head buried in the ancient book, a note pad beside him. He was scribbling down names frantically while muttering.

In the end, it was Wayzz who gave his position away. The little kwami looked up and abruptly called out, "Master!"

Master Fu's head whipped up and he spun around, grunting, but brandishing his walking cane in a fearsome manner. "Wayzz, shell on!" Master Fu called. His transformation flashed throughout the room.

"We meet again, Gabriel," Master Fu stated.

"Yes," Chat Noir hissed.

"You should never have taken the miraculous," Master Fu growled.

"It was destined to be mine!" Chat Noir roared. "And so are all of the others!"

"You don't have to do this. Think of everything you've done already. Everyone you've hurt! Think of your son, Gabriel. Your own son! Ladybug described what you did to him! He isn't doing well!"

The cat man visibly blanched. "I didn't know!" he protested.

"Does it matter?" Master Fu asked. "You could give it all up now! Give the boy his miraculous back! Return to your work! She would never come back, but you and your boy could have a chance at happiness!"

"You don't understand!" Chat protested. "I need her back! She was my everything!"

"I doubt she would want to return now," Master Fu said, a slight smile on his face. Chat bristled.

"You will never understand!" Chat repeated. "And you don't need to. I knew you would never turn! Everything will be easier once you're out of the way!" And then he attacked.

Master Fu dodged several blows, side stepping around Chat and ducking. A blow to his jaw shook sent him reeling backwards a few steps, but he returned the favor by jabbing Chat's side with his cane (now turned into a better, fancier and more suitable fighting weapon because of his transformation).

Chat went into an almost feral mode. He scratched and bit, bearing down on the older man and attacking mercilessly. Master Fu fought back with vigor, but his achy bones would not allow him to move with the same speed. Although youth doesn't always beat wisdom, he was having a very hard time. Blood drops, both his and Chat's, splattered on the wooden floor.

A baton blow to the back sent Master Fu crashing to the floor. He flipped over and held his staff up to block Chat's baton and prevent it from crushing his skull.

"You…don't…have…to…do…this…" he panted as the two pushed against each other, muscles being over-exerted.

"You don't understand!" Chat Noir snarled. "I DO!" He gave a final shove and Master Fu's arms gave out. The baton hit his head, making him feel dizzy and his vision double. Chat raised his hand, summoning his destructive power. "CATACLYSM!"

Master Fu could only watch in horror as the hand rushed down towards his throat. Gloved leather met his skin and then a numbing sensation ran throughout his nerves.

Then the fire came. It raced throughout his body, crumbling his bones and chewing his nerves to bits. It reached his heart and he gave a strangled choking noise as it shut down his system. He could feel himself decaying rapidly, his blood was drying up and he turned into dust.

Chat Noir watched, fascinated as the old man turned to dust. It was gruesome to watch, but he couldn't pull his eyes away. There was a pile of ashes on the ground. On top of the ashes sat the turtle miraculous, a bracelet with a turtle shell on it. Wayzz was coughing and spluttering, rolling around on the floor next to it.

Chat picked up the bracelet and put it onto his own wrist, enjoying the sensation that immediately rushed through him. The power of wielding two miraculous at once! Chat knew that the average person could only wear two miraculous at a time. And they could only wield one at a time. Of course, you _could_ use two at the same time (otherwise his plan to use the cat and ladybug miraculous would be pretty stupid), but there were serious consequences.

Now to find the other miraculous. Wayzz was glaring defiantly at him from the floor. The little kwami didn't have the strength to get up after absorbing some of the cataclysm. It could damage other kwami because the cat was one of the most powerful miraculous.

"Where did your previous master hide the miraculous?" Chat Noir asked. Wayzz didn't respond. Instead, he gazed forlornly at the pile of ashes in the center of the room. "Well then, I'll just have to find them myself."

He searched the room, upturning every piece of the place. There wasn't much in there. A mat, some candles, a comfortable chair, and an old phonograph. Eventually, Chat Noir gave up. Then he noticed the piece of paper that Master Fu had been scribbling on. He picked it up.

To his delight, he found it was a list of the next possibly wielders of the miraculous. He pulled out his smart phone (because this was the freakin' twenty first century, not an old 70's show) and snapped a picture of it. This was perfect.

"New plan," Chat decided. "I let Ladybug and Adrien find their little friends and give them the miraculous. Then I visit the new wielders. I'm sure several of the people will be easy to turn." He gave the list a once over.

" _That's a stupid-ass plan_ ," Plagg snapped inside of his head.

"Nobody asked you!" Chat roared back, quickly growing annoyed with the kwami.

" _Nobody asked me? I AM A GOD-LIKE CREATURE! AND I DEMAND CHEESE!_ " Plagg howled.

"Shut up!" Chat ordered.

" _Cheese. Cheese. Cheese. Cheese. Cheeeeeeeeeeeeese!_ "

Chat Noir curled his fists up with rage before tossing the list of names on the floor and scooping up Wayzz, trapping the kwami in his pocket. "Hey!" Wayzz called, but his voice was muffled by the leather. Chat made a hasty exit.

############################################################################################################################################################

"He's not here!" Ladybug groaned as Papillon persistently knocked on the door. "What are we going to do?" She was close to tears.

"Um," Papillon racked her brain. "You know what, I got this really cool app the other day that tracks phones. I was gonna let you use it to stalk Adrien."

"See, this is why we're best friends," Ladybug gave a half hearted smile and a sniffle.

"Let me pull it up. He doesn't have his phone on him, but maybe Nino does. In fact, Nino has to. He picked up when we called." Papillon dug around in her pocket and withdrew her phone. Squinting to read the screen in the sunlight, she started typing rapidly. Ladybug let out a shuddering sigh and crossed her fingers.

############################################################################################################################################################

"And so that's why I need you to sneak into my house and take the peacock miraculous!" Adrien finished. He was lying on the couch, head propped up on a pillow. Nino had changed his bandages and even then he had to sit down because he felt so absolutely sick and dizzy.

"Dude..."

Adrien smiled weakly at his best friend. Nino's mouth was agape and he stared at Adrien.

"So all freakin' year whenever an akuma attacked-"

"I always made up a lame excuse to leave so I could transform and save Paris? Yeah..." Adrien finished.

"I was going to say you put on black leather and flirted with a hot super heroine, but yeah that too," Nino said. "And so Marinette is Ladybug? Honestly I did not see that one coming... Although it makes so much sense."

"Yeah... Anyway, can you do it?" Adrien asked.

"Break into your house, dude? Really?"

"Well I can't do it. They'd see me coming a mile away..."

"True."

"And?"

"I'll do it!" Nino relented. Adrien smiled weakly before cringing. Nino's eyes lingered over Adrien's stomach. "You gonna be okay dude?"

"I promise I'll be fine," the blonde said, crossing his fingers behind his back. "I'll just take a nice nap here while you're gone."

"Fine," Nino said, not believing him. Adrien had a way of down playing when he was hurt. "When do you want me to go?"

"Now would be awesome!"

"You're kidding me..."

"Nope."

"Okay then. Wish me luck. I'll be back in like," Nino glanced at his phone, "Three hours." Then he stood up and made his way to the door. Right before he left, he turned and looked at Adrien. "You sure this isn't some kind of crazy prank?"

"I promise it isn't," Adrien said, shaking his head.

"Crazy," Nino muttered. "Good to have you back bro," he said, smiling. Then he tossed his headphones over his ears and walked out the door, shutting and locking it behind him. Adrien let out a sigh of relief and relaxed his posture. He let the pain make itself clear on his face. Here he didn't have to hide how much he was hiding.

He even started to drift off to sleep before the doorbell rudely awoke him. He groaned, leaning on the couch for support and standing up. he made his way over to the door slowly. Did Nino have to abort the mission? He looked out the peephole.

There stood Nathaneal, nicely dressed and holding a bouquet of roses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel really bad for never updating this fic on ao3. The fully complete fic and the first chapters of its sequel are posted on Fanfiction.net and Wattpad.


	25. Crash My Party, Part 1

**Chapter 25: Crash My Party Part 1**

Marinette had been missing from school for two days.

Her parents had finally contacted the school that morning, telling her teachers that she was sick and might not be back for several more days. Mrs. Bustier shared the information with the class because everybody was worried that one of their classmates had been kidnapped like Adrien. The teachers were also worried. Alya had been absent for as long as Marinette, and they had yet to hear the reason.

But for Nathaneal, the only person he noticed missing was Marinette. Sweet, lovely Marinette. He could no longer spend all day watching her in class, sketching her to perfection. He tried to draw her without looking at her, but he was unsatisfied with the results.

If only Marinette would notice him! She had always been kind to him, but she was kind to everyone. She hadn't made fun of him when Chloe had broadcasted the news of his crush to the whole school. She had been nothing but understanding and sweet. Sometimes he wished she could have just told him she wasn't interested. It would make everything easy.

He needed a plan! He just wished he were a little braver. Maybe then he could ask her out and get it over with. But there was so many things that could go wrong. And if Chloe found out...

When he heard that Marinette was sick and would be absent for a few more days, he was a little upset. But then he realized that maybe this was the chance he was looking for! With no Alya around to bring Marinette her homework, he could volunteer to take it. And then he could ask her in her own home, privately. It was perfect!

Ms. Mendeleiev ended up making everything easier for him. She ordered him to bring Marinette and Alya their homework as a punishment for drawing in class. He accepted the duty happily, to her mild confusion.

Before heading over to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, he headed home and dressed a little nicer then he normally would have. He brushed his hair and even considered tying it back. In the end, he chose not to. It was easy to hide behind the wall of red hair if things got embarrassing. He even stopped at a flower stand that Rose had set up and got a small bouquet of roses. Then he gathered up his courage and approached the bakery.

" _Strange_ ," Nathan thought as he walked up. " _It's closed. It isn't usually closed_." He reached out his hand to ring the doorbell, and then he stopped short. Could he really do this? What if she turned him down? What if she was still angry at him for the whole Evillustrater thing? What if she already had a boyfriend!

Squeezing his eyes shut, he ignored the strange looks from the few passer by. Standing in front of a closed bakery with a bunch of flowers must look a little odd. Finally, Nathaneal made his decision. He rang the doorbell and waited.

For several minutes, he heard nothing. He resisted the urge to press his ear to the door, lest someone open it. Then he heard quiet yet distinctive shuffling. Somebody moving towards the door. But nobody opened it. Nathan was overwhelmingly confused.

Finally, Nathaneal got frustrated. He did not get up his courage to walk all the way over here just to go home again and never have this chance! He shifted the homework assignments and the flowers to one hand and reached out. To his surprise, the door was unlocked (Adrien had busted the lock when he picked it). Nathaneal opened it tentatively.

"Marinette? Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng?" he called quietly. He heard a noise in the kitchen, like someone hastily trying to move. He walked in. What if something was wrong? What if somebody was going to hurt Marinette?

Suddenly, there was a loud thump on the roof, followed by muffled voices. There was a crash in the kitchen. Nathaneal dropped his flowers on the ground and ran into the kitchen. If she needed someone to save her, who better than him?

############################################################################################################################################################

Chat Noir made his way home quickly and detransformed. He shoved Wayzz and Plagg into a small bird cage (magic proof, so they couldn't get out) and gave them nothing to eat despite Plagg's constant wining. Then he went down and locked the cat and the turtle miraculous in his safe.

It seemed the best option at this point. Ladybug knew who he was, so he couldn't be caught with the miraculous. Nobody knew about the safe except for him. The fact that the book had disappeared from the safe definitely worried him. But he had no doubt that Adrien (with the probable help of his kwami, since they could phase through things) had taken it. Of course, there was no way Adrien or anybody else could get into his mansion now. He practically had the place on lock down.

He went to sit down in his office chair and rewind from the days events when Natalie's voice came over intercom. "Sir, we seem to have a problem with some fabric shipments that needs your immediate attention."

"I'll be right there," Gabriel muttered. He looked forlornly at his comfortable office chair before dragging himself to work.

############################################################################################################################################################

Nino made his way out of the Dupain-Cheng bakery, head spinning. His best friend was Chat Noir. He couldn't believe it. He did feel a little hurt that Adrien had never told him, but he supposed it made sense. Ladybug and Chat Noir never even revealed their identities to each other.

He rode the Metro all the way to the Agreste mansion. He was a few feet away from the gate when he realized he didn't have an excuse to get in. Crap.

"Yes?" Natalie's voice came over the camera speaker after he rung the doorbell. Nino took a deep breath. He wasn't the best liar.

"Um, h-hello dude-I MEAN MA'AM! I'm in Adrien's class... His best friend... and-"

"I know who you are. What do you want?"

"Well, I was supposed to... um... bring Adrien's homework over! I mean, I-know-he's-not-here-just-it'll-be-there-when-he-gets-back!" Nino finished quickly. He pulled some random papers out of his bag and held them up. Natalie eyed him suspiciously and sighed.

"Fine. Put it into the box." The mailbox popped open.

"Woah woah woah, du- I mean ma'am! It'll get all out of order and messed up!" Nino protested. He could hear the very exaggerated sigh from the other end.

"FINE. Bring it in."

The gates opened and Nino walked inside and up to the door. When he opened it, Natalie was ready to greet him. "Okay, I'll take that from you and give it to Mr. Agreste when he...returns," Natalie ordered. Suddenly a high pitched voice called over Natalie's shoulder.

"Natalie! The new fabric order was all messed up! And we have a deadline to meet!"

"Coming!" Natalie said. She glanced at Nino hesitantly. "You know where Adrien's room is. Leave that on the dresser." She turned and followed the woman into another room. Nino let out a sigh of relief, shifted his headphones, and crept over to the safe that Adrien had said was behind the portrait of his mother.

" _This must be it_ ," Nino thought, looking at a large painting of a beautiful woman with blonde hair and green eyes. He swung the portrait open. Then he took a list of possible codes out of his bag. Adrien had written down several different possibilities, the first being his mother and father's wedding anniversary. It worked. The safe door swung open.

Inside of the safe, there were several objects. A picture of Adrien's mother, a weird turtle shell bracelet, a peacock feather pin, and... Adrien's ring? Nino was so excited! Were these items miraculous? He grabbed the pin (that was what he was originally supposed to take) and then he picked up the other two things without hesitation.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. Slamming the safe shut, he ducked behind a table. He heard Mr. Agreste muttering to himself about 'those darn delivery people' before his footsteps faded away.

" _I should go check out that dude's office too,_ " Nino thought. " _Why does Adrien's dad even have the miraculous?_ " He thought back on the story Adrien had told him and his eyes widened.

"Adrien's dad is Hawkmoth!" he muttered under his breath. "Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth! And he did that to Adrien!"

" _There's no way Adrien knows about this_ ," Nino thought. " _Do Marinette and Alya know? Oh god, what am I supposed to tell him?_ " He crept up to Mr. Agreste's office. The first thing that called his attention was muffled yelling.

"Give me cheese or give me death!" a little voice called.

"Plagg, that's not going to help," Another voice said, sounding exhausted. Nino followed the voices through several doors until he entered weird white room. There was a cage with two little tiny creatures in it. The black one was yelling loudly.

"THIS IS KWAMI ABUSE!" he screeched. His eyes widened when he saw Nino. "YES! NINO! WE'VE BEEN SAVED!"

"Who are you and why do you know my name?" Nino asked loudly, trying to keep his voice to a minimum volume.

"Oh please, you're Adrien's best friend. I go with the kid everywhere. How would I not know you? My name is Plagg and get us out of here!"

"Um, sure. Do you have a key?"

"Oh yeah, let me pull it out of my magical pocket and unlock the cage by myself. NO I DO NOT HAVE A KEY!"

"It's in his desk," Wayzz said weakly. Nino retreated and came back promptly with a key. He unlocked the cage and hesitantly picked up both of the kwami.

"Awesome! Now let's go back to Adrien! You got my ring, kid? I can't go very far without it."

"Yeah I got it," Nino said proudly, holding up the shiny silver object. PLagg's smile could not be matched. Nino turned and crept out of the room and back the way he had come. He was very careful to peek around walls and check to make sure no one was there.

He got all the way down the stairs and halfway across the front parlor when he began to run. Suddenly, Nino crashed into someone and fell on his butt.

"Ahem," Gabriel Agreste straightened his tie and looked down accusingly at Nino. "How did you get in here and what are you doing?" His eyes traveled to the kwami's in Nino's hands.

"I was just leaving some homework in Adrien's room! Can't have him rescued and then unable to catch up, right du- I MEAN SIR? I'll just be going now..." Nino scrambled to his feet and moved to dash around Mr. Agreste and leave the room when a hand grabbed his wrist.

"Adrien sent you, didn't he?"

Nino's snarled angrily. "Hawkmoth!"

Gabriel's eyes held a hint of fear. "Figured it out did you? Did Adrien tell you that?"

"I don't even think he knows! Just wait till I tell him his dad was the one who hurt him. He'll be so angry! And you won't like him when he's angry!" Nino countered, struggling in the man's firm grip.

"I know what my son looks like angry!" Gabriel insisted, almost like he had something to prove. Nino's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I doubt it, dude! You ignored his existence for all his life! The poor guy does everything he can to please you! He doesn't eat or sleep properly! He constantly panics about being perfect! And you ignore him! Could you be any more of an asshole? You don't even say 'good morning' to him! You haven't done it once! I guess you were too busy trying to KILL people with your demon butterflies!"

"DO NOT SPEAK OF IT LIKE THAT!" Gabriel roared. "EVERYTHING I DID WAS FOR HIS OWN GOOD!"

He was momentarily blinded by his anger, and Nino immediately took the opportunity to kick him in the shin. Gabriel cursed loudly as Nino tore out of his grip and turned to run, only to be tripped and brought to the ground again.

"Coming here was a mistake!" Gabriel growled. He ripped the cat miraculous from Nino's hand as the boy shrieked angrily, his baseball cap falling off as he twisted desperately. Gabriel's hands immediately went for Nino's pocket, where the turtle and peacock miraculous resided. Before he could get them, Nino bit his hand. Hard.

Gabriel jerked his arm back. "Did you just... bite me?" he snarled in disbelief. Nino kicked him again and jumped to his feet, tearing out the door. PLagg's shouts of 'run kid, run! Keep Adrien safe for me!' followed him out the door. Then he heard another sound.

"Plagg, claws out!"

Nino dashed for the gate, scared out of his wits. There was no way he could outrun Chat Noir! Wayzz knew this also. "Nino, you need to use me to transform!" he insisted. Nino's eyes widened.

"W-WHat? You mean like, have super hero powers? I can't..."

"Of course you can! Just say 'Wayzz, shell on' while wearing the bracelet!"

Nino's eyes were nearly bulging out of his head. He looked hesitantly at the weak kwami. He could hear Chat Noir/Gabriel shouting orders to lock down the mansion. "Are you sure?"

"Positive! Do it!" Wayzz commanded. "Just do it!"

"Okay," Nino said. He grabbed the bracelet out of his pocket and slipped it onto his wrist. "Wayzz, shell on!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're bored, you could hop on over and read "Miraculous Music". A series of random oneshots I've been writing based off of songs. ;)


	26. Crash My Party, Part 2

**Chapter 26: Crash My Party; Part 2**

Suddenly, there was a loud thump on the roof, followed by muffled voices. There was a crash in the kitchen. Nathaneal dropped his flowers on the ground and ran into the kitchen. If she needed someone to save her, who better than him?

Nathan rushed into the kitchen and leapt over some dishes that had fallen off of the counter and onto the floor. That was what had made the crashing noise! As he dashed around the counter in the middle of the kitchen, he heard a soft groan. Dashing around the corner, Nathan skidded to a stop right before he crashed into...

"ADRIEN?" Nathan shrieked. Adrien had been _kidnapped_ and now Nathaneal found him at _Marinette's house_! Adrien looked panicked. He opened his mouth to speak, but all of the sudden the loud voices from the roof became more apparent.

"Got...to...get...out...of...here..." Adrien panted. Nathan finally realized just how bad Adrien looked. He was white as a sheet, and he looked like he could barely hold himself upright. Despite never having liked Adrien (only because everyone knew Marinette was crushing on him and that made Nathan jealous) Nathaneal slid an arm underneath Adrien and let the blonde lean his weight on him.

The two boys limped to the front stairs and out the door quickly, heading for the park. Adrien was trying to hide his head from everyone who passed by. Nathan was a little confused (and very suspicious) as to why Adrien had disappeared, was now being pursued by somebody, and still did not want to be noticed by people who could help him.

Once they got into the park, Nathan took Adrien to an empty patch of trees and set the blonde down so he could lean against one of them. Adrien gave Nathan a small smile. "Thank...you.." he panted. "I...I can...explain..."

In truth, Adrien knew he honestly couldn't. There was no way he was going to tell a random classmate what the real story was. He had to come up with a believable lie. And fast. Nathan looked down at Adrien nervously. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Save your explanation! Marinette could get hurt!" he blurted out before turning to leave. Adrien looked panicked.

"No... don't..." he called after Nathaneal. "You could get...really...hurt!"

Nathaneal hesitated for a moment. He could get hurt... He preferred to stay in the shadows and work diligently. He wasn't the brave type... He didn't enjoy people that much. That's why he hid behind his wall of red hair and lost himself in his art. But Marinette could get hurt!

Taking a deep breath, he knew he had a choice to make. He had three options. He could walk away from this whole thing and stay completely safe, maybe go home and finish a painting he had been working on. He could stay here with Adrien and hear him out (although Nathan suspected a LOT of foul play going on). Or, he could go back and risk his safety to possibly rescue Marinette (or at least figure out where she was).

After a few seconds of nervous consideration, Nathaneal made his choice. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and took off, heading back towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He heard Adrien calling after him, but he ignored it. Feet pounding, he reached bakery in seconds... and found Ladybug and a strange looking person standing in Marinette's bakery, eating cookies and flicking through their cell phones.

All the sudden, there were two flashes of light that made Nathaneal squeeze his eye shut. When he opened them and peeked back around the corner, his jaw dropped and it took everything he had in him not to cry out from shock. He did not, however, manage to stifle the gasp that escaped his lips.

Marinette and Alya whirled around, panic on their faces.

"Uh oh," Alya said, voicing the first thought that came to her mind. Marinette very much agreed.

############################################################################################################################################################

"Wayzz, shell on!" Nino called. His transformation flashed before his eyes. When he opened them, he was wearing a skin tight, green suit. He had a large green shell made out of some kind of magical material on his back. To his delight, he discovered that he could pull the shell off of his back and use it as a shield.

He only had a moment to study his suit, because a larger and creepier version of what he knew to be Chat Noir came bounding out the door on all fours, claws tearing at the concrete. Nino panicked, freezing on the spot.

" _Run child!_ " Wayzz gently reminded him, also slightly panicking. The fact that the kwami was speaking to him inside of his head startled Nino enough to bring him out of his frozen stupor.

"I can't outrun that!" Nino protested out loud as he began to run.

"Oh yes you can," Wayzz said, the smirk and enjoyment clear in his voice.

Suddenly, as Nino ran, he felt his feet move faster and faster, until everything raced past him and became blurry. The wind stung his cheeks, and he was surprised he could even see (until he realized that his mask had some sort of built in wind shield.

"HOW DO I STOP?!" he panicked. He could no longer see where he was going. His feet were pumping like pistons and everything was blurry as he dashed across rooftops with ridiculous speed.

" _Picture where you want to stop_ ," Wayzz offered. " _When you get there, you'll know. Just stop running_!"

Nino desperately pictured the Dupain-Cheng bakery. His feet shifted almost instantly. It was like something else took control of him, but he was most definitely in control. The feeling was so weird. Suddenly, something clicked in his brain. He took in a deep breath and dug his heels in.

At first, he thought he was going to trip and go flying on his face, like when you're roller skating or skate boarding too quickly and you stop short. But to his surprise, he skidded to a halt and the stumbled several feet, crashing into the glass outside of the bakery. Thankfully, it was very thick and didn't break.

He heard s muffled shriek and a voice say 'What on earth was THAT?" It sounded surprisingly like Alya's voice. Nino picked himself up off of the pavement, wincing slightly.

" _Okay, stopping will take a little practice_ ," Wayzz said cheerfully in his head.

"You think?" Nino groaned.

############################################################################################################################################################

Adrien watched Nathaneal run away, annoyance crossing his features. He didn't know who was on Marinette's roof, but he was sure it couldn't mean anything good. What if Hawkmoth had figured out her secret identity? Nathan could get seriously hurt.

It frustrated Adrien that he couldn't just jump up and go after the red head. It frustrated him that he couldn't stop Nathaneal and go figure out who the mysterious people were. It frustrated him that he couldn't be at his lady's side to help her through this. All in all, Adrien was very frustrated.

He sighed, leaning his head against the tree. He could feel the rough bark against his cheek. There weren't many people around. The kids were all still in school, so the only people in the park were a few free adults that casually chatted while sitting on the benches. Adrien let out a sigh.

What if Nathaneal didn't come back? What if something happened to him? Then Adrien would have another person on his conscience, and he would have to find somewhere to go. Could he even get back to Alya's house at this point?

He decided he needed to at least make an effort. Maybe he should go back to the bakery. At least he could see of Nathan was coming back or not. Deciding upon doing that, Adrien pushed his feet underneath him and heaved himself up. The urge to throw up was overwhelming, and his vision was so blurry he could barely see, but he limped his way along the line of trees.

Eventually, he had to step out from behind the hiding place that the greenery gave him. He carefully glanced back and forth. He had exited the opposite end of the park from where he came in, and now he was standing in front of his school. His school. His heart ached as he remembered he had been sitting in his classroom slaving away only last week.

Thankfully, school was in. So Adrien made began to make his way around the park, thinking about how this was easier then he thought it would be.

Of course, his bad luck immediately decided it could not let him get away with that thought. Right as he was rounding the corner to go to the bakery, a very familiar, very _annoying_ voice rang through the air.

"ADRIKINS! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Chloe nearly tackled him as she flung her arms around him, squeezing his stomach. He yelped and pulled away on instinct. Chloe released him, sobbing heavily. Her mascara was streaked down her face.

"Chloe..." Adrien gasped, he took a few steps backwards. His world began to spin again and he nearly tripped.

"YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN KILLED! WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU DOING?" Chloe screamed. Adrien pulled his white jacket over his face as people walking by turned to stare. "Let me call my daddy, he'll take care of everything! When I find out who did this so help me-"

"Chloe..." Adrien pleaded. "Please, stop! I can explain!" Again, it was a lie. There was no way he was going to explain any of this to Chloe. They may have been best friends when they were kids, and she might still have been worried to death about him, but he knew Chloe. She was cold and heartless. She used to be nice, but she turned into a monster, constantly preying on people. Making sure that everyone else's life was absolute hell.

So Adrien didn't regret reaching out and slapping the dialing cell phone out of her hands. She shrieked in annoyance. "MY PHONE! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? THAT WAS _THE NEWEST_ MODEL ON THE MARKET!" Yep, there was the Chloe he knew and loathed.

"I'm sorry Chloe! I can't let you call your father!" his voice was a little weak. As Chat Noir, he had no problem putting Chloe in her place. But as Adrien... Well, that was a whole different story.

Chloe glared at him, her messed up makeup made her look a little crazy. The fact that she was openly growling didn't help the image.

"Please Chloe! I'll tell you everything! I promise!" Adrien begged.

Chloe looked like she was considering it. Then her face lit up. "Fine, but ONLY if when you go back to your father, you start dating me!"

"What? But I can't! Mar-" he stopped short as Chloe dived for her cell phone and dangled her finger over the green button.

"It's your choice!" she laughed. Adrien knew he didn't have the strength or speed to go after her at this point. But he knew he didn't need it. Why was Chloe like this? Five years ago, she would have understood! Five years ago, she would have helped him hide and she would have listened to him. Five years ago, he would have told her everything.

But now? Chloe was a nasty little deceiving witch, and he was sick and tired of it! "Why do you have to be like this Chloe?" he snapped. "You think you can blackmail people into doing whatever you want! And for some sick reason, you think you deserve whatever you want! You can hurt people and ruin their dreams and make them feel bad about themselves if it benefits you!"

Chloe's finger pressed the green button as she stood up, shaking slightly but holding the phone to her ear nonetheless. Adrien continued. "You're not some little princess that can sit up on a throne and destroy everything other people have worked for! You can't just make your best friend your slave! You don't deserve anything more than other people!"

"Shut up Adrien! What would you know anyway? You defend all of those stupid peasants! Like MariTrash! What's so amazing about her? What's there to be nice to? People like her are there to adore people like us! Because they're stupid and gullible and we deserve more than they do and-"

"YOU SHUT UP, CHLOE! You never used to be like this! You used to be kind and compassionate! You used to actually care about others! Now, you go around actively hurting people! YOU ARE CREATING AKUMAS THAT DESTROY YOUR CITY! You may think Hawkmoth was the supervillian behind all of that, but the only villain I see here is you!"

He jabbed a finger in her direction. "You deserve to be locked up, Chloe. There are so many charges I could place against you! False accusation, interference with the law, bribery, threatening, I COULD LITERALLY GO ON FOR HOURS! Also," his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Leave. Marinette. Alone."

Chloe was shaking. She actually dropped her cell phone right as her father answered. "Chloe darling? Chloe? Chloe, what's wrong sweetheart?" Adrien reached down and hung up the call.

"Adri-" Chloe began to say something, but Adrien cut her off.

"Chloe, why do you admire Ladybug?" he asked suddenly.

"I... what?"

"Why do you admire Ladybug?"

"I don't know, because she's cool! She's always saving the day and putting other people before herself! She's kind to everyone, and she tries to help everybody she can.. and... and..." Chloe's eyes began to well up with tears again. "She's a hero... What else is there to it?"

Adrien put a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Then try to be a hero, Chloe. You could be just like Ladybug. You could have friends, real friends! Not people who follow you around and do your homework! You can be just like Ladybug, Chloe! You just have to try!"

"I can't..." she whispered.

"You can," Adrien replied firmly. "The choice is yours Chloe. It's always been yours. Other people and what they do don't ever change the fact that it is your choice." Adrien picked his words carefully, knowing that coming right out and mentioning Chloe's mother would set her off again.

"Oh, what do you know?" Chloe sobbed. She brushed Adrien's hand off of her shoulder and took off running.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting another series of oneshots called Miraculous Oneshots. They are based off of suggestions from my readers on Fanfiction.net, as a thank you for the 1, 245 reviews I have on this fic. Go check them out if you are interested!


	27. Crash My Party, Part 3

**Crash My Party; Part 3**

Marinette and Alya whirled around, panic on their faces.

"Uh oh," Alya said, voicing the first thought that came to her mind. Marinette very much agreed.

"W-What?" Nathaneal stuttered, grasping the door for support. Marinette took a step forward.

"Nathan! Please, you can't tell anybody! I'm begging you!" she pleaded. Nathaneal lost himself in her eyes for a few moments. She looked close to tears. He felt horrible for making her almost cry. How could he ever betray her?

"I...I won't..." he stammered, blushing and wishing he could disappear. He brushed his bangs in front of his face a little more. "So... you're Ladybug?" It all made sense. Marinette had betrayed him when he was Evillustrater because she was secretly Ladybug and she had to do her job! He didn't remember being an akuma, but Alya had gotten exclusive footage (of course). So... he might actually have a chance with Marinette? And speaking of Alya...

"What are you?" he asked shyly.

"Oh, I'm a new super heroine. Name's Papillon. Now shh," she waved her hand at him while scrolling down her phone. "Nino's phone says that he's at home, but he can't be because I called his mother! He must have left it there!"

"Papillon...as in, butterfly?" Nathan asked, looking again at Alya and wishing he could sketch her as a butterfly. That would be fun... More fun than this awkward situation, anyway.

"Yeah. You know Hawkmoth, the guy who makes akuma? Well, long story short Mari here stole his miraculous and now I have it! Isn't that AWESOME?"

"Cool," Nathaneal said weakly, smiling a tiny bit. "What's a miraculous?"

"You ask too many questions!" Alya said, shaking her head and reverting her attention to her cell phone.

"Sorry," Nathan apologized quietly, feeling embarrassed.

"Not a problem. I just need a few minutes to figure everything out and see what we should do!" Alya said.

"Isn't that Ladybug's job?" Nathaneal asked the question before he could stop himself. He nearly melted under Alya's withering glare. "Right.. no questions." Despite preferring to stay out of social interactions and awkward situations (painting and drawing was much better) Nathan couldn't help being naturally inquisitive.

"Argh! You know what? Marinette, why don't you and Nathaneal go into another room and get me some food, and then Mari will explain everything that's going on!"

"What?" Marinette gasped. They couldn't tell him what was going on! How could they trust him?

"What?" Nathan gasped at the same time. He couldn't be left alone with Marinette Dupain-Cheng! He'd never be able to hold himself together!

Alya shooed them out of the kitchen. "If we tell Nathan here to go home and not to tell anybody, he'd do it. But the curiosity would grow and grow and grow to the point where he couldn't stand it anymore and he just had to know! And it'll affect his behavior and everything he does! And suddenly the questions will become like a disease that slowly infects his mind as it-"

"Do you take all of this from personal experience?" Marinette interrupted her. Admittedly, that was what secrets did to her too. And they were little secrets, like what her parents got her for Christmas. "Fine.." she gave in.

"Oh good, that means we don't have to hide anymore!" a small voice said. "I need some lettuce, please!"

Nathan nearly fainted.

"Lettuce is in the fridge. Unless you want some cookies," Tikki told Nooroo cheerfully, popping out of her hiding spot as well.

"Lettuce is far better than cookies!" Nooroo announced proudly. Tikki gasped.

"That gross healthy stuff? Better than cookies? The outrage! I'm offended by the very idea!"

"Um..." Nathaneal said quietly, "What are those things."

"This is a magical unicorn from the land of Rispa, and that's a Keebler Elf," Alya said sarcastically, gesturing to Nooroo and then Tikki. "Now go away! I need peace and quiet to put all of these clues together!"

Marinette grasped a stuttering and red faced Nathaneal by the wrist and led him into the living room.

############################################################################################################################################################

Twenty-five minutes later, they came back into the kitchen. Nathaneal's face was still impossibly red and Marinette's red puffy eyes showed that she had been crying again. Alya was glaring at her phone. "This dumb thing can't help us!" she said angrily, slamming it on the counter and sighing .

"What are you trying to do again?" Nooroo asked. Except he had his mouth stuffed with lettuce so it sounded more like, "War you tyng do 'gain?"

"Find a boy named Nino! He's Adrien's best friend."

"Want me to help?" Nooroo offered. Alya sighed again while Marinette blew her nose in the background and Nathaneal stood there awkwardly.

"Not much you can do," she replied. Nooroo looked offended.

"I'm a thousand year old god like creature! Of course there's something I can do! Transform, please!"

"Nooroo, wings out!" Alya called, secretly glad that she got to transform again so soon. Nathaneal stood in shock and awe, watching a girl turn into a super hero. Yet another thing his fingers were itching to draw. "Okay, Noo, now what?"

" _Put your hands together and summon a papillon_!" Nooroo instructed.

"An akuma?" Alya literally freaked out about the thought.

" _No_ ," Nooroo corrected. " _An akuma is a papillon that has been infused with evil. The only way for you to do that would be to trade a bit of your soul in exchange for evil, like Gabriel did_."

"So, I can't hurt people?" Alya asked tentatively.

" _Correct. Also unlike Hawkmoth, when you use the butterfly on someone you give them the_ _choice_ _to become a champion. They can turn down the offer and walk away if they want to._ "

"Okay then, let's give this a try." Alya cupped her hands together. "Papillon, rise to your challenge!" A small, glowing butterfly appeared in her hands.

Nathan desperately wished he had his sketchbook. This was so cool! The butterfly was such a lovely creature. To be able to draw it... Made out of delicate whispy whiteness, floating there gently... To draw such a creature would be a challenge, one that Nathneal would happily attack.

"Now what?" Alya asked.

"Think of the boy. Find his life force among the many people in Paris," Nooroo instructed. Alya closed her eyes and had no problem picturing the boy with his orange headphone and red baseball cap.

Suddenly, her vision began whirring, racing through the streets of Paris. Everything went past too fast to see, but somehow she knew where she was in her mind. Racing closer and closer until...

Suddenly, there was a loud crash on the front of the bakery. Alya gritted her teeth, determined not to lose her concentration. "What the heck was that?" Marinette asked.

Finally, Alya found Nino. Well, she found a life force that she was certain to be Nino. But he looked very different. He was wearing all green, and had on a mask/goggles. He also had a large green shell on his back. The boy was rubbing his head.

"What the...?" Alya thought to herself. Nevertheless, she urged the butterfly to go to him. If it wasn't Nino, she could still find out who he really was. She watched her as her little papillon left her hand and headed out the door.

Surprisingly, she could watch the papillon with her eyes open, seeing everything it saw. She laughed as she watched the turtle boy look at the butterfly and then screech like a girl. He scooted away, pulling his shield off of his back and shoving it in front if him. It didn't help, the papillon dove into his shield. Suddenly, Alya could see everything that Nino could.

"Nino, I am Alya..."

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Nino, or Jade Turtle (as Wayzz had told him his name was) rubbed his head. Man, that glass was not soft. He glanced around, hoping nobody had seen him (or his embarrassing halt). Thankfully, the street was deserted.

Then Jade Turtle heard the flapping noise. He tilted his head up... and saw a butterfly heading straight for him! "No!" he screeched as he scooted backwards. He was not going to get akumatized again! He was not going to be akumatized as a super hero!

He whipped out his shield and put it on front of him, forgetting in his blind panic that the akuma would just go inside of it. Suddenly, he remembered something! Marinette and Alya had taken Hawkmoth/Gabriel's miraculous! So what in the world...

" _Hello, Nino. I am Alya, the most amazing and fantastic person in the world. I'm offering you the power to come inside the bakery and get me a glass of milk because I'm too lazy to walk all the way across the kitchen. Do you accept my offer_?"

"Alya?" Nino gasped.

" _Yes, who else would it be? Jake from State Farm..._ " he could hear Alya laughing inside of his head, which was admittedly a little creepy.

"But how...?"

" _I'll explain in a minute. And you'd better explain the turtle suit! Accept my offer and come get me milk!_ " Alya said.

"No. No way am I getting you milk when you are standing five feet away from the refrigerator in Mari's house," Nino dead-panned.

" _Fine. Come back to me, my papillon!_ " she called. The butterfly left Jade Turtle's shield and fluttered away. Jade stood up and brushed himself off, following the butterfly inside.

############################################################################################################################################################

"And then I kinda crashed into the bakery... Stop laughing Alya! It's really hard to stop running once you start! And now I'm here..." Nino concluded. Wayzz nodded.

"So you're a super hero too! This is like the best day!" Alya screeched.

Marinette just looked at her. Her eyes were puffy red from crying all day.

"Well, it had it's ups and downs..." Alya corrected herself.

"So, Adrien is missing?" Nino asked, panic etched on his face.

"Yes he is. And we have to get him back! What if Gabriel has him?"

"Wait a second, Gabe can't have him, dudes. I went straight over to his house and Adrien was still in the bakery when I left. He was in his office a lot of the time that I was there, too. There's no way that dude has Adrien," Nino said.

"Then where is he?" Marinette asked.

"Right here," a quiet voice said. Marinette whirled around.

"ADRIEN!" she nearly knocked him over as she threw her arms around him. She was sobbing into his shoulder. "Why would you do that to me? Are you okay?" she whimpered. Despite being hurt, Adrien didn't shrug her off. He clung to her as well.

"I'm sorry Marinette..."

"But what if you were hurt! Or-"

"But I'm not hurt, princess. I'm right here." He had said the old nickname, hoping it would bring her comfort. What it brought was more tears.

"I can't do this without you, you stupid cat..." Marinette was shaking in his arms. Adrien immediately felt horribly guilty as he tried to calm the girl.

"I know Marinette, and I promise I won't do it again. But I'm right here now. It'll be okay. I'm fine."

"But-"

"I'm okay Marinette," Adrien said again.

"But what if-"

Suddenly, her rambling was cut off by a pair of lips on her own. And suddenly, all she was aware of was the fact that Adrien was kissing her and she was kissing back and _Oh My God Is This Actually Happening_... And it was warm and sweet and she never wanted it to end, but before her brain had time to fully process what was going on, Adrien pulled away.

Marinette stared at him.

"I'm okay, m'lady," he said, smiling a bit.

She nodded. "You're okay."

Alya coughed in the background, drawing both of their attention over to her. "Well, don't mind us or anything, just keep doing what you're doing." She and Nino looked ridiculously happy, and Nathaneal stood in the background, red cheeks blazing with anger.

Nobody noticed Wayzz whisper into Nino's ear that he had something important to do. Nino nodded, and nobody but Nino noticed as Wayzz slipped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* Our poor tomato son...


	28. You Can Call Me Queen Bee

**Chapter 28: You Can Call Me Queen Bee**

Chloe dashed around Adrien, scooping up her cell phone and running away. She could feel Adrien watching her as she made her hasty exit, but she didn't care. She finally let the tears come on full force. After running around a corner, she found her personal car waiting for her.

"Ms. Bourgeois, are you alright?" her driver asked, attempting to be kind, lest he enrage her and pay the price for it.

"Just drive me home!" Chloe wailed. The driver nodded and shut her door, before climbing into the driver's seat and taking off. He drove as quickly as possible, knowing that whenever Chloe got sad, she normally got angry and then everybody around her (especially hotel employees) suffered greatly. A lot of people usually ended up fired, and he did not wish for the same fate.

But Chloe sat in the back, sniffling quietly and making no comment. Adrien's words kept replaying in her head.

" _Then try to be a hero, Chloe. You could be just like Ladybug. You could have friends, real friends! Not people who follow you around and do your homework! You can be just like Ladybug, Chloe! You just have to try_!"

"I can't do that," she told herself firmly. "Nobody will like me after what I've done. It's better to stick with Sabrina and keep being me! And it's _hard_ to be nice! So I can't do it."

" _You can_ ," Adrien had told her. " _The choice is yours Chloe. It's always been yours. Other people and what they do don't ever change the fact that it is your choice"_

"I didn't get to choose whether I had a mother or not! I didn't get to choose if my father paid attention to me! I didn't get to choose to be loved! So why is it suddenly MY choice? Why does everything turn back on me? This is so not fair!"

Life's not fair!

Those were words Chloe heard all the time, and she hated them. Her mother told her that all the time when she was little. People told her that all the time. Life's not fair! Why wasn't it fair? She deserved everything she had! Right…?

Part of her wanted to be like Ladybug, but that involved a lot of effort. It involved a lot of self-control and a firm determination to be a better person. It meant doing her own homework and inconveniencing herself and being nice to people… Was it really worth it?

" _It is_ ," Chloe realized. " _And that's why I hate it so much! Because it's totally worth it, and I don't want it to be_!" To have real friends, people who cared about you. Love isn't bought, it's earned. And Chloe just wanted somebody to love her and compliment her and always be there for her.

But she had learned to buy love through gifts, and force other people to do things for her whether they wanted to or not. She complimented herself and made others feel bad to make herself feel good. But after five years of that, could she really change?

" _You can_ ," Adrien's voice rang through her head. He was her first friend. He used to love her. They used to share everything. And she could see the hurt in his eyes while he yelled at her. He believed that she could be a better person. Could she believe in herself?

It wouldn't be easy. Nothing was ever easy. Maybe Sabrina would be willing to help her. Of course, the first thing that Chloe decided she would have to do was apologize to Sabrina. Would Sabrina even want to be friends anymore? Would she finally realize how cruel Chloe could be and leave her?

The thought of losing her only other friend made Chloe's stomach churn. As they pulled up to the hotel, she realized how messy she was. Her jacket was dusty and wrinkled from diving for her phone, and her mascara was running down her face.

She marched into the hotel. Except that when the doorman hurriedly asked her if she needed anything, Chloe gritted her teeth and responded. "No thank you!" before hurrying on her way. The doorman stood behind her, frozen in shock. Did Chloe Bourgeois just act polite? He scratched his head and went back to guarding the door.

Chloe entered her huge room and threw her purse on her bed before heading to the bathroom. She took a long, cold shower. With a towel wrapped around her, she made her way to the closet. She looked at all of her expensive designer clothes. They were pricey and beautiful, but none of them were very comfortable. Skinny jeans, mini skirts, and tight blouses?

" _I feel horrible_ ," Chloe thought. And she really did. Thinking about every mean thing she had ever said and trying to come up with a plan to make it up to each and every person made her feel sick to her stomach. She looked into the back corner of her closet. There sat a few looser t-shirts and some regular jeans that she had mockingly told Sabrina she would burn later. Now they looked pretty good.

She slipped on a loose yellow t-shirt and some jeans. Although she didn't really feel like putting on her excessive amounts of makeup, she couldn't help but toss on some mascara and eyeliner. Then she braided her hair to get it out of the way and collapsed upon her bed.

" _How many people have I hurt_?" she thought to herself. There were too many to name. All of her classmates, all of her father's employees. " _You know, I've been horrible to pretty much every person in Paris_ …"

Her big dangly earrings were getting annoying, so she crossed over to her vanity and pulled them off. When she set them down, she noticed a little brown jewelry box embroidered with yellow. Huh, maybe her father got her some new jewelry.

Despite the fact that Chloe didn't want to be reminded what a spoiled brat she was, curiosity made her open the box. " _Maybe I can give it to Sabrina_!" she thought. " _Her birthday is coming up and she deserves a nice gift._ "

She opened the box and looked inside. It was a small yellow and black comb. Interesting. She had to admit that she actually loved it and she wanted to keep it. " _No more being selfish, Chloe_!" she reprimanded herself. " _Still, I can try it on_ …"

She put her hair into a high ponytail, noting that it actually looked pretty good without a professional hair stylist working his magic upon it. She placed the comb on her head, right above the base of the pony tail. Almost instantly, a little black and yellow blur popped out of it.

"AHHHH! IT'S A BUG!" Chloe shrieked, stumbling backwards. She picked up a book and threw it at the little creature.

"Wait!" the little creature called.

"IT TALKS!" she screamed, flinging her teddy bear at it as well, followed by an expensive perfume bottle that crashed on the ground and broke.

"But-"

"Chloe darling, are you alright?" The door swung open to reveal the mayor. Chloe felt her cheeks turning red. She was on her knees on the floor, poised to fling a book. When she looked up, the bug thing was no longer there.

"Um, thanks daddy! But I'm fine! Just…. Reading this book!" She hurriedly got into a sitting position and opened the book to a random page.

"Okay then. If you need anything, remember your daddy is right down the hall!" he called. She nodded, smiling sheepishly. Finally, her father shut the door and left. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Is he gone?" the bug suddenly popped out of nowhere. Chloe shrieked again (although much more quietly than she had the first time).

"Don't come near me, you bug thing! What are you? Why do you talk?" Chloe whimpered, holding up the book. The little bee held up her fuzzy feet in surrender.

"I am Buzzara! I'm a kwami!" the bee introduced herself. "And I'm not a bug, I'm a bee! Learn the difference!"

"A what?" Chloe asked. The bee started to move closer, but Chloe held up the book threateningly.

"You know Ladybug and Chat Noir?" the bee sighed, stopping short.

"Duh!" Chloe answered impatiently.

"Well, they both have Miraculous. Ladybug's earrings and Chat Noir's ring. Each miraculous has a kwami. We transform the wielders into superheroes!"

"So you're saying…" Chloe started.

"That the comb on your head is a miraculous? Congratulations, you figured it out!" The kwami wasn't rudely sarcastic, but it was clear she had an attitude. Chloe froze. "Hello? Chloe? Hellooooo?" Buzzara flew in front of Chloe's face.

"A super hero?" Chloe whispered.

"Yes!" Buzzara answered. "Isn't that exciting?!"

"I… I'm not worthy of this…" Chloe breathed out. "I'm not the person you want! You must have made a mistake or something!"

"Um, if you're wearing a miraculous, it's yours. Of course, Wayzz has been mistaken about wielders before, but I doubt he's mistaken about you!" Buzzara explained. "You might have done some bad things, Chloe. But you want to change! You're not too far gone! You can change your ways and make it up to those you've hurt. And helping to save the city can help you do that!"

"Helping to save the city? Like, help with akuma attacks? But Ladybug and Chat Noir seem to have it covered."

"A great evil is brewing," Buzzara explained. "Chat Noir's miraculous has been taken from him, and he has been greatly wounded. Ladybug has been mentally scarred, and she wants to give up her Miraculous. We are electing other superheroes to help them, and I believe you are up to the task, Chloe!"

"Chat Noir is hurt? But what about the rumor that he kidnapped Adrien? Omigosh, I shouldn't have left Adrien back there! WHAT WAS I THINKING? And if Adrien is back then…" her eyes widened all of the sudden.

"And the wheels are turning," Buzzara commented quietly in the background, like a sports announcer.

"That must mean…"

"The pieces are falling into place!"

"I knew it!" Chloe announced triumphantly. "I KNEW he was hiding something from me! Adrien is Chat Noir? Omigosh, how didn't I see it before? How long has he been Chat Noir? He had his miraculous stolen?"

"DING DING DING!" Buzzara bounced around happily. "WE HAVE A WINNER! Adrien has been Chat Noir since the day he and Ladybug defeated Stoneheart. And his miraculous was taken by Hawkmoth."

"We have to get it back!" Chloe hissed, "And we need to go make sure Adrien is safe!"

"Don't worry, he's safe. He's currently with Ladybug and two other new superheroes."

"How do you know this?"

"Mental communication. It's a kwami thing!" Buzzara said. "In fact, Tikki, (that's Ladybug's kwami), told me to bring you over to where they are right now!"

"WHAT?" Chloe freaked out. "I can't go meet Ladybug! Do you know how many people I've akumatized? I mean, I'm trying to be a better person, but I made that decision like THIRTY MINUTES AGO! What if she doesn't believe me? What if I can't change? What if she hates me and I screw everything up?"

"Relax Chloe!" Buzzara said. "I'm here to help you every step of the way! We can make the change together. Besides, you don't have to reveal your identity to them!"

"Will I see their identities?" Chloe asked nervously.

"One second, let me ask Tikki," Buzzara said. The bumblebee closed her eyes and concentrated. "Well, she said that everybody except for Adrien will be transformed, and they'll decide then if they want to reveal their identities to you. Tikki says they think that at this point, everything will be easier if you all know each other, but they need to meet you first."

"If they reveal their identities, will I have to?" Chloe asked. Buzzara shrugged.

"It would be the polite thing to do, and also a good way to show that you trust them."

"But what if they hate me?" Chloe whispered. "I would hate me… I hate myself. Especially Ladybug! How could she ever forgive me?"

"I happen to know who Ladybug is," Buzzara commented. "And you'd be surprised. She's a lot more forgiving than you'd expect. But she's not very trusting. And she's going through a lot right now, so don't be surprised if she gets angry. She'll settle down. Besides, what's she going to do? Take away your miraculous?"

"I guess… I know I'll have to earn their trust."

"Good. And the fact that you're recognizing how difficult that will be, but you're still willing to try, shows that you really do want to change. You are still willing to try, right?"

"Yeah…" Chloe said. "So are we going... Like now?"

"Yes!' Buzzara answered. "Just say: Buzzara, stripes on!"

"One more thing," Chloe said.

"Yes?"

"Can I call you Buzza? Buzzara is kind of long."

"Seriously?"

"What? Just cuz I want to change doesn't mean I'm not still a somewhat lazy teenager! Besides, I think Buzza is cuter than Buzzara!"

"Fine, you can call me Buzza!" Buzzara relented. A small smile stretched across her lips. She actually kinda liked the nickname. "Now, are you ready to do this?"

"Sure! Buzza, stripes on!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An entire chapter centered around Chloe? What did I just do?


	29. Figuring Things Out

**Chapter 29: Figuring Things Out**

"Sure! Buzza, stripes on!" Chloe called. Immediately, yellow light flashed around the room and she felt a strange sensation running through her body, starting from her head and stretching to her toes. When the light faded, she couldn't help but stare at herself in the mirror.

She was wearing a skin tight suit, similar to Ladybug's. Except this one was yellow with black stripes. She had black knee high boots and gloves, and a black mask covered her face. Her hair stayed in its usual ponytail, with the comb on top. Around her waist was a belt, attached to a sheath for a sword. She pulled out the long, thin sword and examined it.

" _Your sword is similar to a bee's stinger_ ," Buzza said inside of Chloe's head. Chloe nearly dropped her sword from shock. " _If you hit somebody, it won't hurt them or draw blood. It will stun them and make them dizzy for a few minutes_."

"Good to know," Chloe breathed out a sigh of relief. "I would never be able to carry around a real sword!"

" _Of course not_ ," Buzza promptly replied. " _You know what else you can do? Put something inside of your pocket. Something big_!" Chloe picked up a rather large bracelet. " _No, even bigger. Like a shoe!_ "

"Buzza, there's no way I could fit one of my high heels into my pocket!" Chloe said, examining the slim pocket along the side of her left thigh.

" _Try it!_ "

"You're crazy, but fine!" Chloe gave in. She picked up a red high heeled shoe and attempted to stuff it into her shoe. Magically, it was like the shoe shrunk, or the pocket grew. Before she knew it, she was no longer holding the shoe and the pocket looked exactly the same size as it was before. "What? Is this some kind of joke?" Chloe just then realized that this could all be some weird dream, or a horrible practical joke.

" _Nope! The Bee miraculous typically works alongside another miraculous. That miraculous distracts the opponent, and that's when the bee moves in and stuns them. Then, she can take what she (or he) needs and slip it into her pocket! There are limits, though. I think you can't put anything larger than a car into your pocket. And nothing alive,_ " Buzza explained.

"Wow.." Chloe said. She took in a deep breath and let it out. "I guess I'd better go find Ladybug and the others before I chicken out!"

" _You won't chicken out_!" Buzza said. " _I have full confidence in you! After all, you're the new Queen Bee_!"

"Is that my name? Queen Bee... Huh, I kinda like it!" Chloe smiled a bit.

" _Yup! Now let's go find Ladybug! I know the way, so just follow my instructions!_ " Buzza said. Then she changed her voice to make herself sound like a GPS. " _Take three steps to the window. Then, turn right. After jumping out of the window, fly right!_ "

"Hold up, I can fly?" Chloe asked nervously. She'd never admit it, but she was afraid of heights.

" _Yes, but only a little. Not like other miraculous, like the butterfly. You can only hover and glide. And if you fall, you'd manage to save yourself before you hit the ground if you react soon enough_."

"Oh, fabulous," Chloe said, gulping nervously. "Here goes nothing..."

She jumped out of the window and plummeted towards the ground.

############################################################################################################################################################

"Well, now what?" Nathaneal said loudly, breaking Adrien and Marinette's gazes from each other. Marinette, despite the fact that she was mentally exhausted, went into Ladybug/Class President/Mother mode.

"Alya, please call my parents and tell them that we found Adrien. Also tell them that you, Adrien, and I will be staying at my house since it's getting dark right now. Nathan," she turned to the red head, "You're welcome to stay as well, if you want. You'll have to ask your parents. Same goes for you of course, Nino!"

"Let me call them, I'm sure they'll say yes," Nino said, pulling out his cell phone and walking into another room. Nathaneal weighed the pros and cons of the situation. It would definitely be awkward to be here. Everybody at school knew that Adrien, Nino, Marinette, and Alya were a little group. He would be the fifth wheel for sure.

The pros? He might be able to prevent Adrien and Marinette from having a serious make out session, which is what that kiss probably would have turned into if they had been alone. So he decided to stay. Maybe he could hang out some more with Marinette. He also excused himself and made a hasty phone call to his parents.

Meanwhile, Marinette pushed Adrien down on the couch with a strict order of, "Do NOT move!" She then proceeded to lecture him for fifteen minutes.

"And I was freaking out because what if I had lost you AGAIN? Because the first time it was all my fault and now you're hurt so you can't defend yourself easily and it's all my fault!" Marinette collapsed onto a recliner nearby.

"What do you mean, it's your fault?" Adrien asked.

"I wasn't even looking for you! As Chat Noir, I mean! After our fight.. And then Adrien disappeared... And I... I thought you had kidnapped him.."

"What?" Adrien said. "How could I kidnap mys- Oh right, you didn't know who I was..." He sat there for a moment, and then his eyes widened a bit. "Wait a second, you thought that Chat Noir would kidnap someone?"

Marinette cringed. There it was. "No! I mean, yes! I didn't know what to think! We got into that huge fight! And then Adrien disappeared and I couldn't find you anywhere! And I was so angry at you that I- I don't know, I wasn't thinking straight!"

"You really thought I would kidnap someone?"

The hurtful expression on his face was squeezing her heart so tightly she knew eventually it would burst from the pressure. He looked down at his feet. "Did you really think that less of me?" he whispered.

"Adrien, Chat, no! It was my fault! I was the selfish jerk! _I_ kept complaining about my bad day, and how hard it was for _me_ to be Ladybug. I wasn't thinking of anything but myself! And I pushed you away because I was blinded by who I wanted to love me! My crush... _MY_ crush! And I never realized how much I really loved you.. The Chat you, I mean. Because I was selfish, and I thought I had my whole life planned out.." Marinette took a deep breath.

"So you love someone else, huh? Is that it? And now you've finally realized you love me? How do I know you're not going to run back to that boy as soon as all of this is over?" he said angrily. His voice sounded hollow.

"Because that boy is you!" Marinette yelled back. "AND WHEN ADRIEN YOU WENT MISSING, I WAS SO ANGRY THAT I WANTED SOMEBODY TO BLAME! SO I TOOK IT OUT ON THE PERSON I LOVED THE MOST! YOU! Well, Chat you..."

Adrien sat there for a few minutes, completely quiet. Finally, he spoke. "This is getting confusing," he said quietly.

"Yeah..." Marinette breathed out. Adrien pulled his knees up to his hurt chest and wrapped his arms around his legs.

"I want Plagg back," the boy admitted in a whisper. Marinette started tearing up again.

"I know, Adrien," she said, sniffling. "And it's my fault he's gone. This whole thing was my fault! If I had stayed up to keep watch, or-"

"It's not your fault, Marinette. You were exhausted. And you're human! You make mistakes! Big mistakes! You're not perfect, and you had a lot of strain from being Ladybug. I... I understand how you could draw the conclusion that you did."

"You don't have to try to understand," Marinette said, burying her face in her hands. Adrien crossed the room and brought his hand underneath her chin, lifting her head to look at him.

"But I want to understand, m'lady," Adrien whispered. "And I forgive you."

And then he was leaning in, and she was leaning in and it was going to be a perfect moment because the two of them were finally alone and-

"Excuse me?" Nathaneal said quietly, interrupted them just before their lips could meet. The boy blushed as he realized what he had accidentally stopped. But in his head he was screaming " _Yes_!" He backed up a step.

"Sorry if I interrupted anything," he said quietly. "My parents said I could stay over..."

"Oh, of course!" Marinette fought to keep her voice from cracking. She hastily brushed away her tears as she stood. "I suppose now would be a good time to figure out where everyone is sleeping!"

Nino and Alya were chatting in the kitchen when Marinette walked in, followed by Adrien and Nathan. They both looked up. Alya shot Marinette a 'we are so talking about whatever just happened later' glance before taking a bite of her croissant.

"Okay, so everybody can stay, right?" Marinette asked. Nino nodded, and Marinette continued. "Well, I have a guest bedroom with a one person bed. Then my bed and the chaise longue, which can each fit two."

Alya snapped her fingers. "So, Nathan in the guest bedroom, you and I sleep on the chaise longue, and Adrien and Nino get your bed!"

"Why do we get the bed?" Nino asked.

"Because I want Adrien to be as comfortable as possible, that's why!" Alya planted her hands on her hips. "Speaking of which, I need to change your bandages! They probably worked themselves loose with all of that moving around! Don't blame me if you get an infection!" Adrien winced as Alya dragged him into the bathroom, grabbing a first aid kit from the cupboard on her way over.

"So, Alya is a professional doctor now?" Nooroo asked. Nino shrugged.

"So what else is new?" The boy and the kwami went to assist her, leaving Marinette and Nathaneal alone in the kitchen. They stood there awkwardly for a few minutes.

"Right-"

"So-"

"You can go first!"

"No, ladies first. I-I insist," Nathan stuttered.

"I was about to say, 'Right, I should take you to the guest bedroom'!" Marinette said. "Follow me!" She led Nathaneal up the stairs and into the quaint little guest bedroom. "It's kinda small..." she said. Nathan smiled.

"It's perfect," he told her. She smiled a bit, but it was immediately replaced by a frown. "I should go check on Adrien. Are you comfortable sleeping in your clothes? I'm afraid all of my dad's stuff would be way too big..."

Nathaneal nodded. "Thanks Marinette." She nodded back in response and headed for the door. After she left, Nathan shut the door and locked it. Then he flopped down on the bed.

" _There really is no stopping those two from getting together,_ " he thought.

" _But you loved her first!_ " a little voice in his head snapped. Nathan sighed.

" _But did I really_?" he asked himself. The voice remained silent. " _I should just move on..._ " He got up and stared out the window at the moon. Then he turned back to the bed. To his surprise, there was a little lump on it. " _That wasn't there before..._ "

He moved closer. It was a little brown jewelry box with orange trim. He picked it up curiously. He couldn't stop himself from opening it. He didn't see Wayzz phase through the door and head back to Nino.

When Nathan opened the box, there was a necklace. He squinted at it. " _A necklace?_ " He picked it up and examined it. It looked kinda like a fox tail Of course, that was probably just his artistic mind seeing things, he reasoned.

For some reason (even though he was a guy)(hey, there are plenty of guys that wear necklaces) he slipped it on. A little orange blur popped out of it and flopped down on the bed. Nathaneal bit back a scream as he stumbled backwards. "W-What are y-you?"

The little orange thing looked up, and Nathaneal realized it was a tiny fox. It looked up. "Oh hello, you must be Nathaneal!" it introduced itself.

"How do you know my name?" Nathan asked. "Wait a second, are you a kwami? And is this... a miraculous?"

"Yes," the fox answered. "My name is Kitsu! The other miraculous wielders already explained how everything works, huh?" Nathan nodded.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"Um, I'm your kwami now..." the fox said shyly, hiding behind its tail. Nathan stared incredulously.

"What?"

"I'm your kwami!" Kitsu said, a little more boldly.

"You want me to be a super hero?" he asked again.

"Of course! You display everything we look for. You're kind and caring. Loyal. You always like to look out for others, even if you're awfully shy. You're extremely passionate too. And you're willing to give up Marinette because you know she'll be happier with Adrien! If that isn't miraculous worthy, then I don't know what is!" Kitsu explained.

"So I could help them out?" Nathaneal asked excitedly. "I could help save Paris?"

"There's the attitude I'm looking for!" cheered the kwami. Nathaneal's face fell.

"But you said it yourself, I'm not very brave... I couldn't handle the pressure. What if I mess up? What if I was a liability to them?"

"You'll be fine, Nathan. Is it okay if I call you Nathan?" the kwami asked shyly. Nathaneal nodded. "I'm not the bravest either. But don't worry, we'll get through it together! And you're a lot braver than you think!"

"If you're sure..." Nathan muttered. He smiled a bit. "You really think so?"

"I know so! Do you want to transform really quickly so you can get the hang of your powers before you tell the others?"

"I guess," Nathan agreed. "It won't hurt, will it?"

"Nope! Just say: Kitsu, tail out!"

"Okay, here goes nothing! Kitsu, tail out!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will I ever stop ending chapters with people transforming? Hint: Yes, I will. That was the second-to-last new transformation.
> 
> On another note, BunnyJCai22 drew an awesome pic of Sayuri! You can check it out on tumblr! Here's a link:
> 
> post/145586300339/fan-art-from-bunnyjcai22-you-guys-should-go-check


	30. Midnight Meetings

**C** **hapter 30: Midnight Meetings**

"Kittsu, tail out!" Nathaneal called. The orange flash made him squeeze his eyes shut tightly. His breath hitched, and he forced himself to carefully open them. When he turned to look in the mirror, he was almost shocked at how different he looked. " _Not bad_ ," he thought.

His hair was styled as it had been when he was the Evillustrater. His costume was almost the same as well. He had an orange suit with brown boots that came up to his ankle and brown gloves that stopped at his wrist. Along his chest and down the insides of his pants was white. He had fox ears sticking out of his spiky hair-do, and a bushy fox tail behind him. Of course, he wore an orange mask to hide his identity. His necklace almost morphed with the neckline of the suit (so it wouldn't look obvious). Nathan smiled. The necklace was being very illusive.

He already knew from Volpina that the fox miraculous' main power was creating incredibly realistic illusions. Nathan headed out his window and stopped on the top Marinette's bakery, careful not to disturb the cuddle fest that was probably happening inside (despite where everyone said they were going to sleep).

"So, what now?" he spoke the words aloud.

" _Well, what do you think_?" Kittsu responded. Nathan groaned. So Kittsu was going to be that kind of person *cough* kwami... The kind that made you think and figure things out for yourself. He stood there before pulling his flute off of his belt.

"I'm not very musical..." he admitted.

" _That's okay_ ," Kittsu reassured him. " _Music is a fine art, and drawing is a fine art. Your mind and fingers were destined for this! Just image you drawing whatever you want to create, and then blow on the flute. Your fingers will find their way_."

Nathan sighed and brought the flute up to his lips. He was sure that this was going to sound horrible. Closing his eyes, he imagined an apple tree. The brush of the leaves, the curve of the branches, solid but coarse wood making up the trunk. Delicate, juicy red apples hanging off of it in clumps.

His fingers began to move as he blew into the flute. His fingers found their own way, moving quickly along the holes as the flute released a beautiful, nearly haunting, melody. When Nathan opened his eyes, a tall apple tree greeted him. It looked so real, considering the fact that it was on concrete. Nathaneal could not stop himself from reaching out for an apple. The second his hand touched the red fruit, the entire tree dissolved into orange dust.

"It looked so real!" he murmered.

" _That's the point_ ," Kitsu said flatly. " _Anyway, your flute can also be used to defend yourself, but only in desperate measure. It's nearly indestrucable, meaning almost everything can't break it. But magic can affect it. For instance, if Cataclysm was used on it, the flute would crumble._ "

"Cool!" Nathan said. "So that's all I do? Create illusions?"

" _Well, yes. But it's extrememly helpful. The fox kwami is usually paired with the b-another miraculous. You lure the enemy in close and then Qu-the other miraculous wielder, takes whatever you need. Akumatized object, gun, stolen stuff, etc. Depends on the situation._ "

"Okay. And if I happen to have to be in combat, the flute will help?"

" _Exactly, you've got it!_ "

"What am I called, anyway? Lila was Volpina..."

" _Well, in special cases the name has to be altered according to the gender of the wielder. Your name is Volpino,_ " Kittsu explained.

"Hmm," Nathan responded. He was silent for a few more minutes, staring up at the sky. The stars were espescially bright tonight. The universe was so big, and he was so small. It gave him a lot of persepctive.

A thump on the rooftop next to his made Nathan's head snap up. He glanced over his shoulder to see a skinny, curvy figure walking over to him. He furrowed his eyes. To his delight, his vision switched to night-vision (not nearly as good as Chat's, but it would do). It was a girl dressed in a bee costume. She stopped a few feet away from him.

Nathan's instinct told him to flee, but instead he held his ground. His ears flattened against his head and his tail was waving back and forth defensively. He hissed as she took another step closer. "Who are you?"

######################################################################################################################################################################

After Alya finished doctoring Adrien, the boy clambered into Marinette's bed and immediately fell asleep. Nino followed soon after. Alya and Marinette stayed up talking for a bit, about what to do with Nathaneal. They were also worried that Chloe would tell somebody about Adrien. Although they figured she hadn't, or else someone would have shown up at the the house right now.

"We should go to bed," Alya said, looking at the clock. Marinette shook her head.

"I know we should, but I don't know if I can fall asleep tonight. Or if I even want to. Last night the nightmares were horrible." She shuddered a bit. "Besides, we're clearly not disturbing the boys." She gestured to Adrien and Nino, who were on separate sides of her bed. Nino immediately opened his eyes.

"Not true," he yawned. "I've been awake listening to you guys for forever." Marinette winced.

"Sorry, she said. "Let's go to bed then..." She had already changed into pajamas, and Alya had borrowed some of hers. The two girls (with a lot of squeezing and shoving) managed to get comfortable on the chaise longue. And then Alya flipped the lights off.

A second after it got dark in the room, the girls heard rustled movement from the bed on the other side of the room, along with a thump. Alya flipped the lights back on, incredibly confused. Adrien was sitting up, his eyes wild with fear. When the light came back on, he calmed down and rubbed his head.

"Oh.. did you turn the light off?" he asked lamely. Alya stared at him.

"How could you even tell? You were sound asleep!"

"I don't know," Adrien said. "I just... I can't handle the dark right now. I know it's really stupid and I'm sorry, I-"

"It's not stupid, Adrien," Alya cut him off firmly. Clearly, you're traumatized by the dark. Probably a side affect of whatever Ga-I mean Hawkmoth, did to you." She rose and eyebrow hopefully, but Adrien didn't comment or tell her what happened. "Anyway, it's completely normal. I don't really know how to get over it... I can research it in the morning."

"I don't want to make you sleep with the lights on all night," Adrien muttered. Nino rolled over.

"It's s'okay, dude. We don'mind," he slurred. Adrien looked down.

"Still... I don't want you to lose more sleep because of me..."

Marinette got up and walked over. "Hey Nino," she began. Apparently, he knew exactly what she was asking because he grabbed a blanket and hopped off of the bed, sleepily walking over to a bean bag chair on the floor and curling up to sleep. Marinette sat down next to Adrien.

"When I was little and I had nightmare, my mom was the one who helped me through it," she explained. "A lot of them were really bad. I was scared to sleep. So she didn't try to help me sleep. We would just sit there, and she ran her fingers through my hair until I eventually calmed down. Then I would fall asleep."

She ran her fingers through Adrien's hair, and he leaned into her touch, scooting a little closer. Alya rolled over on the chaise and put a pillow over her head. Nino was already snoring on the floor.

"Why?" Adrien attempted to keep the tears at bay, but his voice came out as a whimper. "Why am I so afraid? There's nothing here..." Marinette kept running her fingers through his hair, saddened that until they rescued Plagg, there would be no soft cat ears to scratch behind.

"I don't know... Do you want to talk about it?" she suggested. He tensed against her.

"I don't... I don't know..." he said nervously.

"My mom always said that bottling things inside of you, like emotions or secrets, can affect you mentally and physically. That's why I was always late and stressed and confused. Being Ladybug and also being unable to tell anybody was slowly killing me."

"I guess."

"Adrien?"

"Hm?"

"Look at me." She put her hand under his chin and tilted his head upwards. She leaned in and kissed him sweetly. When she pulled back, her eyes narrowed. "I'm always here for you and I always will be. What did Hawkmoth do to you?"

Adrien still had a dazed expression on his face, and while his brain was slowly processing the kiss, his mouth readily gave information. "Well, The Trapper knocked me out, and when I woke up, I was in a dark room. But it didn't make sense, because I was Chat at the time and I should have been able to see. But I couldn't."

Marinette nodded. "That's really creepy. What can override magic?" Adrien shuddered and she pulled him a little closer, resting her head on his neck. "Then what happened?"

"Well, I was panicked because I didn't know where I was or what happened, and we had that huge argument so I thought you wouldn't come for me."

"You thought I wouldn't come for you?"

"Well, did you?"

There was a very long period of silence after that. Finally, Adrien spoke again.

"Anyway, Hawkmoth came. He... talked to me. Something about 'there could be any number of things in here with any reason to hurt you'. The way he said it kinda implied that there was something in there. He ended up twisting my arm really badly. And then he left me there..."

Marinette gasped. "He just left you there? For how long?"

"I don't know. I had lost track of time and my mind was busy coming up with the worst possible scenarios. Then he came back with The Trapper, and.. well, you got the note, didn't you?" Marinette's eyes widened again.

"Yeah, was that your side?"

"No. My leg," he said simply. "And then they left me alone again, bleeding. At least the pain distracted me for awhile," Adrien said through gritted teeth.

"When did your side get hurt?" Marinette asked. Adrien just kinda looked at her.

"After you didn't come to his 'meeting', Hawkmoth tortured me to get your secret identity."

"I tried to come, Adrien! I really did! But I was late and I couldn't find you and then Alya was there and- Wait a second, you didn't even know my secret identity!"

"Yeah..." he said. "I don't really want to talk about it anymore..."

They sat in silence for another few minutes. Adrien eventually relaxed again and wrapped his arms tightly around Marinette, who gladly returned the embrace. "I keep having to... remind myself," Adrien whispered. "That you're real. That all of this is real. That I'm not going to wake up in blackness again. I think that's why I can't sleep with the lights on. It's like I've woken up from a good dream and gone back to... that."

"I'm here now," Marinette responded. "I wasn't earlier. Because I was selfish. I was such a jerk to you, as Chat Noir. I only looked out for myself and the one person I thought I wanted. But I'm here right now. And if you think I'm ever going to leave you alone again, you thought wrong."

"But how can I know for sure?" Adrien asked. "How do I know you're not just saying that?"

"I don't know," Marinette admitted. "This is crazy and messed up and stupid. We're teenagers. We shouldn't have to deal with death and destruction and problems like this."

"Life's not fair.." Adrien said. He paused for a minute and then said, "Anyone who says otherwise is selling something."

"Really, movie references? Now?" Marinette wanted to laugh.

Adrien shrugged. "What else do you want me to say? We can't solve this gap in our relationship here and now. We can't magically beat Hawkmoth. It'll take time."

"My mom always used to say that time heals all wounds..."

"Yeah, but why wait?"

"What? I-mph"

He was kissing her again. Kissing her desperately, feeling every inch of her lips to make sure she was there. Tongues made contact. His arm was wrapped around her tightly and she leaned into his chest. They stayed like that for another minute before they had to break apart to breathe.

"What...?" Marinette said feebly, touching her lips. Adrien just shook his head.

"Don't say anything. I don't want to ruin the moment."

"What moment?"

He sighed dramatically. "The moment I kissed my lady properly for the first time." He paused. "You know, I told you we might know each other in real life."

"So, we can just keep living like this? Go back to what we used to do? Fight together, the friendly banter, your stupid cat puns?"

"Well, we can try. And I think you meant 'excellent' cat puns. Besides, you already admitted you like them."

"A mistake, I assure you."

"A paw-sitively terrible one," he agreed softly.

They laid there for another few minutes before she realized that he was asleep. She reached over and gently switched off the light. No reaction. Absolutely none. She snuggled down next to him and finally let the exhaustion claim her and drag her into the depths of sleep, far too deep for nightmares to occur.

######################################################################################################################################################################

Meanwhile, Queen Bee and Volpino were staring each other down. Each held their ground. Neither of them moved. "Who are you?" Volpino asked.

"Who are you?" Queen Bee immediately responded.

"I asked you first!" Volpino stuttered a bit, unsure of what to do.

"I am Queen Bee. I'm a new miraculous holder. My kwami sent me to Ladybug. Ladybug's kwami knows I'm coming," Queen Bee told him, placing a hand on her hip. Who was this new person and what was he doing here? Had he already been approved by Ladybug?

"Who gave you your miraculous?" he asked suspiciously. If she was a fake, she'd probably make up some story.

"No one. I found it sitting on my vanity," Queen Bee answered, much to his annoyance.

"And what do you do?" he asked.

"What do you do?" she asked.

"Oh we are not doing this again," he sighed. "I'm Volpino. I'm also a new miraculous wielder.

"Okay," she said. Her narrowed his eyes.

"'Okay'? Just 'Okay'?"

"Yeah. Can you take me to Ladybug? Have you already met her? Did you reveal your identity? Was she nice?" Chloe nervously began asking the questions. She was terrified. What if Marinette wanted to know her identity? She would never forgive her...

"Um, I've met Ladybug. She doesn't know my identity yet, but she's about to. She knows me though. And I know her identity," he said, shrugging.

"I know her identity too," Queen Bee admitted. Volpino's eyes widened.

"Really? What is it?" he asked suspiciously.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Queen Bee answered. "Why else would I come to this spot? Can you take me to her?"

"Um, sure. I'll actually go get her for you," Volpino offered. Queen Bee nodded and he disappeared down the fire escape. Chloe sat down on one of the terrace chairs and waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, I tried. Hopefully it was what ya'll wanted.


	31. Meeting of the Miraculous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tossed in a little Gabriel POV since we haven't heard from him in forever! Enjoy!

**Chapter 31: Meeting of the Miraculous**

Volpino hopped inside of his window. "Kittsu, tail in," he muttered. His mind was racing. Another new miraculous wielder? He was kinda hoping to impress all of the others by being a new miraculous wielder. Would this 'Queen Bee' character steal his thunder? He had to go and wake Marinette regardless. Queen Bee knew that she was Ladybug. So she could be a threat as well.

Nathan opened the bedroom door a crack and saw Adrien and Marinette snuggled together on Marinette's bed. It still bothered him a bit, but he ignored it and walked over to shake her awake. "Marinette!" he hissed, touching her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and she leapt out of bed, putting him in a headlock.

"Oh, it's you," she said, releasing him. He backed up a step.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but I have two things that need your immediate attention," he said, brushing his bangs out of his eyes for the millionth time. Marinette yawned.

"Okay, but it better be important!" A tired Marinette was a grumpy Marinette.

"It is. The first one is, well, this." He gestured to Kittsu, who flew out from behind him and nodded politely. Marinette's eyes widened. She looked from Nathaneal to Kittsu and then back to Nathaneal. "The second is that there is another new miraculous wielder on your roof," Nathaneal continued before she could say anything. "Her name is Queen Bee, and apparently her kwami told her that you're Ladybug."

"You're the fox miraculous wielder now? Well then, welcome to life as a superhero," Marinette chuckled. "It's not always that great. And I was expecting Queen Bee to show up. Tikki warned me. I just didn't think it would be so soon."

"Well, she's here," Nathan said with a groan. Marinette looked at him pointedly.

"She can't be too bad. Sure, we don't know her, but that doesn't mean anything. If Master Fu chose her, then that's who she is," Marinette said. "I'll go on up to the roof."

"Mari, don't leave me!" a sleepy Adrien murmured at her. He rolled out of bed and tried to follow her, but immediately winced and couldn't hold in a groan. Alya materialized out of nowhere and grabbed his arm.

"Nope! Not happening. You over-taxed yourself and now it'll take even longer for you to heal. There is no way I'm letting you go on a midnight stroll!" Alya insisted. Adrien was in so much pain that he actually agreed with her and sat back down on the bed, but said that they couldn't turn the lights back off until Marinette came back. Nino snored through all of this.

Marinette, Nathaneal, and Alya went up onto the rooftop through the trap door. Queen Bee stood upon the sight of them, nodding in Marinette's direction. "Ladybug," she acknowledged simply.

"Welcome, Queen Bee," Marinette responded. "This is Alya, aka Papillon, and this is Nathaneal, aka Volpino." Alya and Nathan also nodded their heads in greeting. Queen Bee's eyes widened a bit, but she recovered her composure.

"I want to help you fight whoever Hawkmoth is," Queen Bee said. Marinette nodded. "My kwami told me all about it and I want to help keep Paris safe from him."

"Tikki warned me of your arrival," Marinette said. Tikki, Kittsu, and Nooroo (who had been rudely awoken) perched themselves on top of a table to watch. "I assume you have parents to get back to. If you have school tomorrow, we'll wait for you tomorrow afternoon to start planning our attack."

"Nobody at home will really notice me gone. Not if I tell them I don't want to be noticed. And I can skip school tomorrow. Saving the world is more important," Queen Bee said. She wanted to just ask Marinette if she could stay, but she felt a very humbling amount of respect for the girl, and she was getting shy.

Thankfully, Marinette knew where she was going with it. "You could stay here if you like," the girl offered. "We have room on the course, you'd have to reveal your identity to us. But that would honestly be a lot easier if you are comfortable with doing that."

Queen Bee swallowed nervously. "That's the thing... I know you outside of the mask. And, well, I was never really nice to you. Let's face it, I was kind of a jerk. I'm trying to do better. I vowed I would turn my life around. My kwami said that wielding the bee miraculous could even help me to do that. But I don't know if you'd accept my apology."

Marinette ran all of the girls she could think of through he head, espescially the ones who weren't very nice to her. Alix could be mean sometimes, Sabrina was cruel a lot too. And there was also Chloe. Marinette wanted to laugh. Chloe, receive a miraculous? The idea of it was ludicrous. So she was pretty sure she could accept any apology.

"I'm sure I can forgive you for whatever you've done," she said. "The important thing is that you're trying to be a better person. You can trust me, I won't be angry."

"Okay," Queen Bee reluctantly agreed. "You want to do it here and now?"

"No, no. Come down and meet the other two!" Marinette said. "Although if you know me out of costume, you probably know them too."

Marinette led Queen Bee down to her room, with Nathaneal and Alya following them. Adrien and Nino were sitting on Marinette's bed, a peacock feather pin sitting in between them. They looked up as she entered.

"This is Adrien, the real Chat Noir, and this is Nino, aka Jade Turtle," Marinette said. "And that's Wayzz, Tikki, Nooroo, and..." She looked at Nathaneal.

"Kittsu," he said. Marinette nodded.

"Kittsu. Plagg is Adrien's kwami, but Hawkmoth has him right now. He'll probably force Plagg to fight us. But we totally outnumber him."

"Right," Queen Bee answered.

"So, you ready to reveal yourself? Because I'm really curious now!" Alya said.

"No," Queen Bee answered softly. "But I'll do it anyway. Just please don't hate me." She looked at all of their faces before softly saying, "Buzza, stripes off."

Her transformation released in a soft flash of yellow. And standing in front of them, nervously messing her with her hands, was Chloe Bourgeois.

"WHAT?" they all shouted in sync.

"Who gave you a miraculous?" Alya demanded.

"Yeah, there's no way someone would give one to you! You must have stolen it, or, or asked you dad to get it for you!" Nino said. Nathaneal just glared at her. Adrien stared, shocked. Marinette didn't say a word.

"I didn't take it or buy it, I promise! I found it on my vanity!" Chloe insisted. Alya snorted.

"Your promises don't hold any weight, Chloe. How could somebody as cruel as you ever receive a miraculous?"

"Maybe it was another mistake, like when Master Fu gave Gabriel the butterfly miraculous!" Nino suggested. Instantly everyone in the room froze. Adrien made a strange strangled noise. Nino slowly swiveled to face his best friend. "Oops," he whispered. "You didn't know, did you?"

It was hard to describe the emotions flashing across Adrien face. Rage, hurt, sadness, fear. It slowly cycled around as his eyes filled with both tears and determination. He took a deep shuddering breath and looked straight at Marinette.

"Did you know that?" he asked in an icy whisper. Marinette felt her heart tighten.

"Adrien, I just didn't want to hurt you! You went through so much and-"

"YOU DIDN'T THINK I'D BE TEN TIMES AS HURT WHEN I FINALLY FOUND OUT?" Adrien yelled at her.

"Adrien, this reaction is why she didn't tell you, maybe it was for the best," Alya said.

"Oh, so you knew too? You, Nino, and Marinette. Did Nathaneal know too? Did CHLOE know? Were you guys just gonna waltz around, pretending like you didn't? Were you going to sit there and PLAN the demise of Hawkmoth WITH ME, KNOWING HE WAS MY FATHER! Were you EVER going to tell me?"

"We were waiting for the right time..." Alya said weakly.

"THREE DAYS AGO WAS THE RIGHT TIME!" Adrien said angrily. He turned to Marinette. "Is this what you were planning when you asked if we could be partners again? To lie to me? PARTNERS DON'T LIE TO ONE ANOTHER! You said I could trust you! YOU LIED TWICE!" Despite the shooting pain, he got up and limped out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Marinette wiped a tear away from her face.

"He's right," she said quietly. Barely a whisper, but loud enough for everyone to hear."I should have told him. I lied to him. I don't deserve him as a partner. And I don't deserve to be Ladybug." She walked slowly out of the room, shutting the door more softly behind her. Tikki looked at the door and shook her head. Marinette needed some space.

Alya, Nino, Chloe, and Nathaneal just stood there awkwardly. Finally, Alya whirled around and poked Nino in the chest. "Why did you tell him?" she hissed. "How did you even know?"

"It was a mistake Alya. I didn't know not to tell him, and it was a slip of the tongue. I saw his dad transform at the Agreste mansion when I got Wayzz and this peacock pin. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"In my opinion, he needed to know! Were you seriously gonna have him sitting around planning how to defeat his own father without his knowledge?" Chloe piped up. Alya whirled around to face the girl.

"Don't you DARE come marching in here and tell us what to do, YOU STUCK UP LITTLE BITCH! You created a good HALF OF THE AKUMA ATTACKS that wore Marinette and Adrien DOWN TO THE GROUND! You're probably just a complete FAKE here to TRICK us and help GABRIEL!" Alya screamed at her. Chloe froze, her mouth open and tears welling up in her eyes.

"Fine!" Chloe snapped. "But let me warn you, Adrien NEVER gets angry like this. So good luck talking him out of leaving you guys for good! I'm going to go try for you and PROVE that I'm here to help!"

Alya snorted. "Good luck with that. He hates you too, you know. Everybody hates you." Chloe stormed out of the room, followed by Buzza. Before she left, however, she grabbed the peacock pin off of the bed. Alya, Nino, and Nathaneal didn't even notice.

"Somebody should go after Marinette," Nino said lamely. Alya growled.

"Don't let me go, I'll end up snapping at her too," Alya instructed. Nathan stood up and headed silently out the door to find Marinette.

############################################################################################################################################################

Gabriel Agreste sat in his office, his cage with a very defiant Plagg in front of him. "Now tell me, Plagg. I could alter Nooro's powers with the evil part of my soul. But Nooroo was a weak kwami. What could I do with the power of destruction?"

"Destroy yourself," Plag said lazily, flopping down on his belly and licking his paw. Gabriel growled.

"I need to get my son back, take Ladybug's miraculous, bring back my Emily, and destroy anyone who stands in my way!" he listed. Plagg rolled his eyes.

"That's quite a bucket list," he commented. Gabriel shook his head.

"There must be something I can do! Something that will make me more powerful! If the other miraculous managed to get to the new wielders, then I'll be outnumbered and overpowered!"

"You think I'm just going to tell you?" Plagg asked, quite irritated.

"No, I'm going to read the ancient book and get the answers out of that," Gabriel replied, pulling up a secret file on his computer. He smiled as Plagg sputtered.

"What? Adrien took that from the safe!"

"Ah, so it was him. Don't worry, I took precautionary measures. I scanned the whole thing and hid it in a secret folder on my computer. I'll just go back and re-read what I managed to decode from the page on Chat Noir."

After fifteen minutes, Gabriel left his computer screen and walked over to Plagg. "I never imagined that you could be so powerful," he murmured. "Death and destruction paired with evil? The possibilities are endless! There's no way that they will defeat me! Plagg, claws out!"

Gabriel opened the cage and Plagg was sucked into his ring, howling all the way. Gabriel cackled as he felt the power wash over him again. "Now, let's see if this will really work," he muttered.

Under the cloak of darkness, Gabriel Agreste (as Chat Noir), stole through the city until he got to the largest cemetery in all of Paris. It was dark and shadowy at this time of night, and something about the silent tombstones made him shiver. Bt he couldn't turn back now. He had a job to do.

"Cataclysm!" he called, summoning his power. He placed his hand onto the grassy ground that was around the hundreds of graves. The effect as instantaneous. With a horrible shrieking sound, boned hands covered with rotting flesh broke through the dirt on top of the graves. The corpses hauled themselves up, howling all the while.

Gabriel felt a dark chill creep down his spine as his army of dead assembled beneath him. Out of curiosity, he whipped out his baton and sliced one in half. It simply reassembled its bones, cracking them and rolling them around experiemntally before it returned to the sea of dead people. Hawkmoth laughed with glee. He had an army! An indestructible army!

Death and evil! What a wonderful duo! So much could be accomplished! There was a price to pay, but it was small. Gabriel considered it worth it. He grinned as he watched over a hundred dead people assemble before him and then fall silent.

"My army!" Gabriel called to them. "Go into the city! Wreak havoc! I have but two instructions: Make sure that Adrien Agreste is not harmed in anyway and brought to me safely, and capture all of the miraculous or miraculous wielders you can. Make a mess of the city, and they will come. Now go forth!"

He watched with bubbling anticipation as the corpses slowly made their way towards the city, shuffling their feet and knocking over trees in their way. "Let's see you win this fight, Ladybug," he whispered to himself. The breeze snatched his words away and tossed them into the air. "You'll rue the day you first heard my name."


	32. Heart To Heart

**Chapter 32: Heart to Heart**

Chloe searched around Marinette's house (despite the fact that she had never been there before) for Adrien. Buzza phased through locked doors to make sure the blonde boy wasn't hiding. Eventually Chloe found him in the basement, sitting on top of some sacks of flour. She made her way over to him as he looked up.

"What do you want, Chloe?" he asked her in a voice that was so emotionally exhausted it sounded blank. Chloe hugged him.

"I want to make sure you were okay," she said softly. "I may have taken advantage of you and been an absolute jerk for the last several years, but you were still my first friend. I care for you a lot."

Adrien sniffled. "Why?" he whispered. "Why does nobody love me?"

"No no no, Adrien. That's not it at all. Your mother loved you a lot! It's not her fault she died and left you! I'm sure she wanted so much to stay and watch you grow up. It's just your father. He's messed up. He probably didn't know it was you who he was hurting."

"Oh he knew all right," Adrien muttered. "Not while he was doing it, but it sure explains his reaction when he took my miraculous for the first time..." There was a long pause as both teens gathered their thoughts.

"After all this time, I never thought it could be him," Adrien started suddenly. "I pretended to be perfect for him. All of the akuma attacks and the late night patrols... It was all an excuse. An excuse to escape being his perfect little puppet. I LIVED with the man I was fighting for two years! I should've noticed! I should've-"

"Stop right there!" Buzza squeaked, saying something for the first time. "Ladybug sat right behind you and you didn't notice! You sat right in front of her and she didn't notice! Your father never noticed you were Chat Noir! There is a powerful magic in the miraculous that keeps people from noticing things, no matter how obvious they seem. It wasn't your fault. Don't feel guilty on top of being heartbroken. Please, for your sake. And the sake of the others. They need you!"

"Nobody needs me," Adrien sighed. "Nobody has ever needed me. And now that I have no miraculous, I'm worthless." Tears began to fill his eyes. Chloe grabbed his hand.

"No, you're not worthless Adrien!You have a lot of people who love you! Alya loves to hang out with you, Nino is your best friend! Marinette is your partner! And I promise that I'm going to become a better person, and a better friend!" Chloe announced, squeezing his hand.

Adrien looked up, a tear finally running down his cheek. "Why did she lie to me? Didn't she trust me?"

"Of course she trusts you, Adrien. Marinette lied to you because she loves you, and she can't bear to see you get hurt. I'm sure she was going to tell you before you guys started planning how to beat Gabriel, but she was stalling. She wanted to find a way that would hurt you the least before she told you. I guess that kind of fell through..." Chloe said. Adrien smiled a bit.

"I guess." There was another long pause. "Why does it hurt so much? I should be used to rejection by now. My mom's dead, my dad is evil. He never paid any attention to me anyway. All of my friends are here. So why does it still feel like I'm empty and lost?"

"I don't know Adrien. But we'll figure this out together. We always do. Remember what we did after you lost your mom?"

Adrien snorted. "Like I'd ever forget that!" he said. Chloe smiled.

###########################################################################################################################################################

Flashback:

Little Adrien was confused. Everything was a blur. Strange people were coming into his house, all dressed in black and with sad expressions on their faces. Five year old Adrien hated the color black. He had no idea that in the future he would relish the feeling of black material across his skin as he traveled across the rooftops.

"Daddy? What's going on?" He asked, tugging on his father's pant leg. Gabriel had a stony expression on his face as he accepted some flowers and turned to Adrien.

"It's none of your concern, son. Go and play with Miss Bourgeois."

"Does it have to do with mommy? Is she all better? Is this a party for her?!" The smiling face of his son broke Gabriel's heart. He desperately thought of what to tell the boy. He couldn't tell him the truth. That the cancer had finally caught up with Emily. That she was dead. And she was never going to come back.

"Um, this is a little going away party for your mother," he lied. "She's going to go on a long trip."

"Oh," Adrien giggled. He paused. "Can I go say goodbye? When is she gonna come back?"

"It's a long trip, Adrien. She may not be back for awhile. She's... asleep right now. Why don't you say goodbye anyway?"

"But she won't know I'm saying goodbye if she's asleep! I should wake her up!" Adrien pouted. Gabriel shifted nervously.

"She'll know you're saying goodbye, son. Mothers always know."

"Okay!" Adrien accepted the answer and ran over to the open coffin that was set up so that people could say their last goodbyes. Emily's parents were standing a little ways away, crying. They watched the little blonde haired boy run over and look at the woman, beautiful even in death.

"Goodbye, Mommy!" Adrien said solemnly. "Daddy says not to wake you, and that you'll know I'm saying goodbye! Please come back soon, and..." He struggled to find words. "And have fun!" he finished. Satisfied with his goodbye (she couldn't be gone that long right?) Adrien ran off to find Chloe.

He finally found her standing next to her parents, in a little black party dress. She looked at him sadly, tears streaming down her face. She had loved Emily Agreste like an aunt, and she was devastated. The happy smile on Adrien's face confused her.

"Adrien, I'm sorry for your loss," she said quietly. Her father had made her practice the line in the car so that she would appear more distinguished and polite. She looked at the ground, her little blonde curls bouncing around her face. Adrien was confused again.

"Mommy won't be gone for very long, right?" he asked worriedly.

"Oh dear, it appears that no one told him!" Mrs. Bourgeois gasped. "Well, this simply can't go on!" She bent down and put a cold hand on Adrien's cheek. "Your mother isn't going on a trip darling. She's going to heaven!"

"Heaven," Adrien repeated. He thought about that for a minute. "But I thought only dead people could go to hea-Oh."

That was all he said. His lower lip began to quiver and then suddenly he burst into tears and dashed away. "Oh my," Mrs. Bourgeois said, placing a hand on her mouth. "I believe the poor little dear has taken it rather harshly." Mr. Bourgeois said nothing, but headed over to offer his sincerest condolences to Mr. Agreste. Chloe ran after Adrien.

She finally found the little boy in the kitchen, doubled over on the floor, crying his heart out. He looked up when she walked over. "Is s-she really g-gone?" he whimpered. "D-dead forever?" Chloe gave him a big hug. Her lip began to quiver too.

"I t-think s-so," she answered.

For the next half hour, two little blonde kinds could be found hugging each other on the floor and crying. The bakers who were preparing a solemn dinner for after the funeral wisely ignored them, stepping around and over them. One such chef was not as lucky.

He was carrying a platter of macarons, and he didn't see the two children until it was too late. He tripped over them, the platter in his hand flying through the air and crashing on the ground. The contents spilled everywhere. The chef got up, very annoyed, until he saw who it was and that they were still crying.

"Here," he offered kindly. "I can't use those macarons anymore. Why don't you two eat them?"

The two sniffling kids looked up at him, before Chloe reluctantly picked up a macaron and offered it to Adrien. "I'm not hungry," he said.

"Well, these all can't go to waste," she said looking around. Chloe was big on environmental safety at the time. She considered what to do with the cookie in her hand. Finally, she grinned and smashed it into Adrien's face.

"Hey!" he shouted angrily, wiping the bits of macaron off of his face. "What was that for?" He picked up another macaron and hurled it at Chloe. She dodged, but it hit her anyway.

"This means war!" she screeched.

For the next two minutes, Adrien and Chloe threw, smashed, crumbled, and ate nearly forty macarons. The chefs winced at the mess, but couldn't find it in their hearts to stop them. Finally, the two kids lay back on the floor, bellies full and extra energy released.

Five minutes after that, the two of the returned to being somber and heartbroken, crying and hugging again. Adrien cried himself to sleep every night after that. Chloe watched him, unable to help. But at least she had made the first day bearable. To this day, Adrien and Chloe always had a love-hate relationship with macarons.

End Flashback.

############################################################################################################################################################

"Marinette probably as some macarons in the bakery," Chloe said, shrugging. Adrien wiped away his remaining tears and smiled a bit.

"We are so not having another macaron fight," he said, laughing a bit. Chloe smiled even wider.

"Perhaps not, but we can eat some. I'm starving. I skipped dinner today!" She took Adrien by the arm and hoisted him up. The two walked into the bakery together. "She wouldn't mind if we eat these, right?" Chloe asked. Adrien shrugged.

"Probably. Her family has to make a living somehow." He watched bemusedly as Chloe pulled out her wallet and placed enough money (plus a generous tip) on the counter and then took a box of macarons and went back into the kitchen.

"While we're here, may I have some food?" Buzza politely requested. Chloe gave her kwami some honey and then handed Adrien a macaron. She bit into one herself.

"Mm, these are heavenly!" She said. "I always avoided the bakery because I didn't want to admit that I liked something Marinette made. Worst mistake of my life."

Adrien laughed a bit before biting into his own macaron. "Yeah, I couldn't get stuff from here because of my strict model diet. Guess I don't have to worry about that now, huh?" There was a long silence.

Finally, Chloe spoke. "Well, now you have to marry Marinette so that I can be the godmother to one of your children and get these macarons all the time!" She watched Adrien splutter and turn red.

"What makes you think I'm going to marry Marinette?"

"May-bee it's instinct," she said. Adrien stared.

"Did you just make a pun?" he asked incredulously. "You really have changed! It's a miracle!" He threw his arms in the air and grinned at her. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Agreste," she said. Then she shoved her macaron into his face.

###########################################################################################################################################################

Meanwhile, Nathaneal found Marinette lying on her parents bed, holding her earrings in her hand. A worried Tikki floated by her side, but nodded and disappeared into the earrings as Nathan approached. She wouldn't be fully trapped inside of the earrings until Marinette put them into the box, fully rejecting them. So if things went south, she could come back.

"Marinette?" he said softly. She looked up, startled.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"To talk. You shouldn't give up your miraculous," Nathan answered. She shook her head.

'Why not? I'm sure there's some other lucky girl out there who'd love to save the world..."

"Because we need you, Marinette! You're the only one who's used to being a superhero. You know how to fight, the best tactics, and how to lead others. We'd be a bumbling mess without you! And Adrien needs you. He's probably somewhere feeling betrayed and unloved. You have to be there for him!"

Marinette eyed Nathaneal suspiciously. "Why are you saying this, Nathan? I know you have a crush on me, so why are you encouraging me to go back and help Adrien?" Nathaneal swallowed. Here it was. The moment of truth.

"Marinette," he began. "I used to have a crush on you, but your happiness is more important to me than anything else. I know you'll be happier with Adrien. You two were meant to be together. I admit, I was always horribly jealous of him. I thought he was some stuck-up model that stole your heart."

Marinette began to protest, but Nathan cut her off. "I know now that he isn't. He's broken, Marinette. He needs love. And you have so much to give. Of course you'll fight occasionally. And now you're both really stressed. You've made horrible mistakes. But you can work through it together. Please don't give away your miraculous. Adrien needs his lady more than ever right now."

Marinette thought about it, processing Nathaneal's entire confession before smiling softly. "I guess you're right, Nathan. Thank you for never giving up on me." She slipped her earrings back in and Tikki came back out, nuzzling her girl's cheek. "And Nathan," Marinette called as he turned to leave. "Thank you for having a crush on me. I was so flattered when I found out, even though I was crushng on Adrien. It was nice to know somebody else liked me for me."

She walked over to Nathaneal and gently placed a kiss on his cheek. He smiled at her, now positive that he was 100% over her. "You should go find Adrien," he told her. She nodded. They walked out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen together, where they arrived just in time to watch Chloe shove a macaron into Adrien's face.

"Chloe!" Adrien laughed, wiping the cookie off of his face. They both turned when they heard Marinette enter.

"Oh, hey Marinette. I grabbed some macarons from the bakery. I left some money, so I hope you don't mind," Chloe said. Marinette smiled a bit.

"I don't mind Chloe. And I'm really sorry about the way I blew up at you. I make mistakes too, and if you're willing to make up for them, so should I. And I should give you a chance instead of turning you away. That being said," she turned to Adrien. "I'm really sorry Adrien. I should have told you about your dad sooner. I was scared that it would hurt you a lot. I was trying to figure out how to tell you. I guess there never really was a right place or time. I should have just told you. Please forgive me."

"I forgive you," Adrien replied. "I should apologize too. I was angry at my father, not you. I took it out on you though. I should have seen that you were just trying to help. So I'm sorry too."

"Friends?" Marinette asked. Adrien smiled.

"Partners," he corrected.

Just then, Alya and Nino came downstairs. "Are you guys done with all of your apologies and lovey-dovey crap?" Alya asked. "Because we have a big problem!"

"What is it?" Marinette asked worriedly. "And yes, we're done."

Alya sighed. "I always thought I would be the one to bring you two together. Turns out that Nathaneal and Chloe are much better at it. Oh well. And I'm sorry about the way I acted too, Chloe. I heard what Marinete said and she's right."

"I forgive you," Chloe said. "I can only hope you can forgive me for everything I've done. Macaron?" Nino and Alya accepted the macarons as they moved over and turned on the TV to the news broadcast. Marinette's heart sank in her chest as she saw the images flash across the screen.

"Oh no."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Macarons are magical.


	33. This Means War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the lack of action in this chapter. I wanted to spend a little bit of time getting the details of the new miraculous wielders together.

**Chapter 33: This Means War**

"Oh no," Marinette whispered, her face paling. Alya and Nino stood there with extremely worried looks on their faces. The rest of the teens crowded around the screen and gaped at the images being displayed.

It was Paris. The same Paris that they walked around in every day. The same places they always went and knew by heart. But they almost didn't recognize it anymore. Buildings were crumbled, and wreckage like bricks and wood were spread everywhere. Clouds of dust rose into the air.

Trees were torn from their roots. Lamp posts, telephone wires, benches, and posters were ripped and shredded to bits, left lying on the ground. People were crying and calling each other desperately. Half of Paris had no cell reception. There was no sign of who or what had caused the damage. Nadja Chamak offered commentary as her camera crew moved around, but it was white noise in the background.

Marinette felt her heart rise into her throat and she fought the urge to puke as she watched families run out of burning buildings, holding their children in their arms. A little girl was lying on the ground next to a pile of rubble, wailing that her kitten had been buried alive. Marinette tossed a fleeting glance to Adrien at that, not daring to think about him lying broken and battered in a pile of rubble.

"Oh my god," Chloe covered her hand with her mouth, shaking as they showed the destroyed and burning Le Grande Paris hotel.

"How did we not notice this?" Adrien demanded.

"Because we're on the other side of Paris," Alya explained, also shaking slightly. She glanced outside. It was early in the morning, but it was still pitch black outside. "Whatever did this was moving quickly. They haven't gotten here yet, but they'll be here soon." She blanched.

"W-we h-have to evacuate!" Nathaneal insisted, voice quivering. Chloe nodded in agreement, stepping up behind him. Nino and Alya wavered. Adrien didn't say anything. He knew what Marinette was going to say.

"We can't just abandon the city," she said firmly. "I don't know if this is Gabriel's doing," Adrien winced at that, "But I don't really care. I'm a super hero for a reason. You guys are super heroes for a reason!"

"I didn't expect our first test run to be so... deadly," Chloe said weakly. A loud _CRASH_ sounded outside and the lights flickered. Chloe screamed and pressed herself against Nathaneal, who grabbed her in fright.

"Are you gonna chicken out on us before we even start?" Alya asked, putting her hands on her hips. Chloe whimpered slightly. Nino looked around, listening. He heard soft thumps moving closer, and the sounds of breaking glass.

"We don't have a choice!" Marinette whispered, listening to the muffled footsteps come closer. They were almost to the bakery. The lights flickered dangerously again. The blackness of the night outside offered no comfort.

"What about me?" Adrien whimpered, grabbing her hand as the lights flickered again. "I can't help you!"

"Yes you can!" Chloe said, pulling something out of her pocket. Alya frowned.

"How did you get that?" she demanded.

"You guys should really watch where you hide the precious miraculous," Chloe whispered. There was a sudden, high pitched scream from right outside. Suddenly, the bakery door was slammed off of it's hinges.

"Everybody, transform!" Marinette screamed. "Tikki, spots on!"

"Nooroo, wings out!"

"Wayzz, shell on!"

"Kittsu, tail out!"

"Buzza, stripes on!"

Adrien tossed the peacock pin on his shirt. A little blue peacock kwami shot out. "Say: Pavvo, feathers on!"

"Pavvo, feathers on!" Adrien screamed. A flash of blue light illuminated him and then Ladybug grabbed his hand and nearly dragged him up the stairs after the others. As she shoved the trapdoor open and led the others onto the rooftops, she nearly fainted.

Surrounding her bakery, her home that she had lived in all her life, was about two hundred people. Except they weren't exactly people. Their skin was distorted and their eyes were misty and empty. They ripped at the foundation, threw bricks into the glass, and started to storm inside.

Turning around, Ladybug could barely see the rest of Paris. It was so dark. Fires were everywhere around her, lighting up the night with an eerie orange glow. Screams pierced the air. Suddenly, one of the 'undead' ran up onto the roof after them.

Volpino let out a shriek, but Ladybug calmly took her yoyo off of her hip and used it to slice the guy in half. The others stared at her. "Come on guys, let's move," she commanded. Suddenly, Queen Bee gasped.

"It's putting itself back together!" They spun around and watched as the entity returned to being whole. Ladybug froze as its empty eyes searched hers. It looked like a little boy, maybe seven or eight. It started to move towards them again.

"Let's go!" Ladybug commanded. Papillon threw herself off of the roof, spreading her wings and flying to the next undamaged one. Queen Bee swallowed and followed suit, gliding along. Jade Turtle dashed across the gap. Volpino just kind of stood there.

" _Nathan, there is one solid thing you can make_!" Kittsu screeched in his head. " _Play your flute and picture a hover board_!" Volpino did as he was told, and promptly a cool hoverboard type aircraft appeared at his feet. He jumped onto it, gliding shakily across the gap. Ladybug grabbed Peacock (for lack of better name at the moment because she was very stressed) and swung across on her yoyo.

They continued to cross the rooftops this way, moving as quickly as possible. But the new heroes were struggling. At one point, Volpino lost his balance and Papillon had to dive and catch him just before he hit the ground. Jade Turtle couldn't flat out run a far distance, so he kept using his super speed in shorts burst. The problem was his stopping hadn't gotten much better, so he nearly tripped himself or one of the others every other rooftop.

The darkness made the rooftop travel even more dangerous. Volpino was the only one who really had some kind of night vision. Ladybug was restricted with her movement because she had to carry Adrien, who still didn't know what he could do with his borrowed peacock powers. He kept sneezing though, and every time he did it made Ladybug jump and nearly lose her balance.

Fifteen tortuous minutes later, the six gasping teens stopped. Ladybug glanced behind her, deciding that they were far enough into the outer limits of the city that they could regroup and then go back and try to save Paris. Queen Bee slumped onto the ground. "So...out...of...shape..." she gasped.

"What now?" Papillon asked Ladybug. Ladybug looked down.

"I honestly don't know... I've only fought akumas and the occasional mugger. All of those people could be stopped. And Miraculous Cleanse fixed the akuma attack. I can't fix this," she whispered. "At least, I don't think I can..."

" _Let me out_!" Wayzz asked Jade Turtle politely. He quietly detransformed and Wayzz flew into the middle of the circle.

"Ladybug, Tikki would explain this but we need you to stay transformed for now. She can sense it too. This is Gabriel's doing. He is using the cat miraculous for great evil. He has done a horrible thing. He summoned the dead back to life. It doesn't necessarily make them 'zombies'. More like-"

"Empty children?" Peacock asked. Wayzz looked at him quizzically. Nino fist bumped Peacock while Papiloon and Ladybug shook their heads. Adrien continued, making his voice sound more high pitched and younger. "Mummy? Are you my mummy? Muuuuuuuummmyyyyyyy?"

"I don't know what you are saying," Wayzz said, looking extremely confused. "But I suppose 'empty' is a good way to put it. They are empty shells. An object without a purpose. A person without a soul. An entity without a state of being."

"Is there any way to stop them?" Volpino asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Yes, but there is only one way. But it will be incredibly difficult," Wayzz said solemnly. "We have to get the cat miraculous back and cleanes it. Then the undead will vanish and Miraculous Cleanse can be used to fix everything."

Ladybug breathed out a sigh of relief. "So I can fix it."

"It won't be easy," Peacock said. "ACHOO! Argh, I hate this," he groaned, sniffling. Queen Bee looked at him sympathetically.

"We're not looking for 'easy'," Papillon said. "We're looking for 'possible'."

Nino transformed back into Jade Turtle and the teen super heroes began to plot.

"It doesn't really matter who gets the miraculous, as long as I can get it and cleanse it," Ladybug said. "But getting it will mean coming extremely close to him. That could be dangerous."

"I could breeze past and get it," Jade Turtle suggested. Ladybug shook her head.

"Too dangerous. It's an option, but I doubt you can grab something, especially a ring, while using super speed. You'd have to stop."

"My power is to stun people," Queen Bee offered. Ladybug nodded.

"That could be useful, but again, you'd have to get in close. I only want to do that if you feel comfortable with it. Besides," she glanced around the circle, "He has an army, and there are six of us. We may not even be able to get close."

"So what if we can't?" Papillon asked.

"Then we lose," Ladybug said simply, as if it was a fate she faced almost every day. Which of course she had, during all of those akuma attacks. "But we cannot afford to lose. We'll figure something out."

She looked around their small circle. "This is going to be more difficult than I thought. None of you are used to being super heroes."

"Hey! I-ACHOO! I'm used to being a super hero!" Peacock insisted. Ladybug shook her head.

"But not with those powers, minou. Although I suppose you are used to the extra speed, strength, and agility. But your injuries will give you limited movement. So we're back at square one." Peacock pouted and then sneezed again.

"So, now what? We aren't gonna go back and face him right now, are we?" Volpino asked nervously. Ladybug shook her head.

"We can't let him hurt any more people," she said. "We're going to go back out there and round up as many people as we can. Get as many people as you can stuff into any mostly unharmed vehicle you can find. Their should be a lot of them around the edges of the city. We need to save as many people as possible."

"If people die," Queen Bee asked nervously. "Will Miraculous Cleanse work on them?"

" _It will_ ," Tikki said in Marinette's mind. " _But it won't work on miraculous holders unless they die a magic related death. The undead, unfortunately, are an exception. The power of destruction over rules their powers_." Ladybug gulped.

"Tikki says that it will, but it won't work on miraculous holders," she relayed. "If you die a magic related death, like when Chat threw himself in front of Timebreaker, it'll bring you back. But if you die at the hands of one of the undead... Well, it won't help you." Most of the team visibly paled or blanched. Peacock was the only one who remained calm. He already knew that.

"We should split up!" Papillon suggested. "There's too much damage and destruction. We won't be able to rescue as many people is we go together."

Ladybug hated to admit it, but she knew Alya was right. There was safety in numbers, but only for them. The Parisians would suffer. But now was the hardest part, pairing people accordingly. She looked around. Nathaneal was clearly frightened and needed reassurance. Chloe wasn't exactly scared, but she was very leery of the consequences of her choice to become a miraculous wielder. Alya was confident. Maybe too confident. And Nino was far too chill for her liking. And then of course there was Adrien.

"Um," she said. "Alya and Chloe, Nino and Nathaneal... No, Nino and Chloe, Alya and Adrien."

"I'll assign us!" Queen Bee said. "Alya and Nino should go together to balance each other out. And you need to be with Adrien, or you'll lose your mind with worry. I guess that leaves me and Nathaneal. I won't let him get scared. I promise!" she said bravely. The stared at her. She shrugged. "You can't be as evil as I was without being clever."

"You owe me like three years worth of homework," Peacock muttered. "All that time when we were kids when you said you didn't get it..."

"Sorry," Queen Bee apologized. "We need to get going!" She looked in the direction of the burning city. Ladybug nodded.

"You and Nathan head South, I'll head West, you two head East," she instructed. She paused for a minute. Then she took a deep breath and continued. "Before we go, I want to thank you guys for being so willing to risk your lives for Paris. Not many people would be willing to do that. Good luck, and God Speed." She took off, swinging into the city.

The rest of them broke off and ran in separate directions, following the screams until the got to the destroyed parts of the city. Each hero felt different emotions stirring inside of them as they viewed the chaos. Rage, fear, and sorrow... They each began their cumbersome task.

######################################################################################################################################################################

"Come on, Volpino," Queen Bee commanded. He followed her willingly, glad that he didn't have to be in charge or lead the way. The two of them took off, until they found several crumbled buildings. A mother with two children was huddled against a wobbling wall. "Come on!"

She ran down and offered her hand to the woman, who looked up tearfully. "W-who are y-you?" she asked. "T-they came in, f-from everywhere. We b-barely got out!"

"I'm a new super hero, and my name is Queen Bee. I'm going to get you somewhere safe," Queen Bee said confidently. She scooped up the two kids and handed one to Volpino, who carefully cradled the sleeping infant in his arms as he followed Chloe. They found the woman's car. Thankfully, it had been parked in the street and it was undamaged. The woman climbed into the driver's seat and Volpino strapped in the two little kids.

"Foxie?" the little three year old girl said tearfully, lip quivering. Volpino stopped in his tracks.

"Yeah?"

"Foxie gonna save our home?" the girl asked, staring at the pile of rubble. Volpino nodded without thinking about it.

"I'll do my best," he promised.

Meanwhile, Queen Bee gave the woman instructions. "They already passed by here, so I doubt they'll be back. I know this sounds ludicrous, but I need you to stay here. You can fit several more people into your car. When we find more, we'll bring them here and then I need you to drive them out of the city." The woman nodded.

Queen Bee and Volpino took off, scanning the ground carefully for people. Most of them wisely moved away from the area, fleeing into the undamaged city. But with the undead army on the move, Queen Bee knew it wouldn't stay undamaged for long. Volpino's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Chloe?"

"Don't use my name while we're in costume unless we know we're alone!" she hissed.

"Sorry," Volpino muttered. "It's just, why did you make us go together? Not that I don't like it. I don't mind. I just was wondering why."

"Because," Chloe said, growling a bit. "I could read the looks and the others' faces. They didn't trust us. They thought I would run and you would cower. If we went with one of them, they would never give us give us a chance to prove that we can do this."

"Okay," Volpino said. "Let's prove them wrong!"

"We can do it. Look, there's someone!" Queen Bee pointed to a large group of people all hiding in a subway entrance. The two super heroes headed down to do they best they could to help.


	34. The Miraculous Team

**Chapter 34: The Miraculous Team**

"Do you think it was a mistake to send those two off on their own?" Ladybug asked Peacock nervously as she swung across the rooftops. He made a muffled thinking noise. When he responded, his words nearly got blown away by the wind.

"I guess we'll find out. I know Chloe was a good person once. Although honestly, I'm having trouble forgiving her for everything she's done. So will everyone else. And she won't forgive herself easily, I know that. This isn't going to be some super speedy 'I'm a good guy now' moment. Old habits are hard to break," Peacock said wisely, before sneezing for the sixth hundredth time.

Ladybug didn't respond. She was focusing too much on the fact that her city was being completely destroyed and burned to the ground. The sound of warning bells and fire alarms, along with emergency response vehicles, filled the normally quiet night. How would she ever be able to fix all of this? How could she have let it get so out of hand?

"Where are we going?" Peacock asked suddenly, realizing that she wasn't stopping by civilians or heading the way that was originally agreed upon. He winced as her arm tightened a little too much around the lower section of his stomach, putting pressure on his biggest injury.

"Sorry," Ladybug murmered. "We're going to the source of the problem!"

"My father?" Peacock asked, cringing and fighting back the urge to either scream or cry. Ladybug nodded mutely. "But why? You can't face him alone! I'm in no shape to fight! He has the cat miraculous, your other half! He can balance you out!" Peacock again wanted to wince as he thought of his father using Plagg. "What about the others?"

"They're all new to this. I've been a superhero for years. I know all of the rules, I know my limits, and I know how to work my powers. Remember how clumsy we were at the beginning? That's what they're going to be like. All four of them! I can't babysit them and fight at the same time!" Ladybug said. She was afraid for her friends' lives. It was much safer this way. Peacock disagreed.

"That may be true, but you can't fight him alone! It's impossible! He isn't just another akuma!" he argued. She kept going resolutely, ignoring the sneezing blonde boy. He frowned. "I don't want to see you get hurt, my lady."

That was what did it. The nickname. Recently used (about a week and a half ago) in the midst of friendly banter and the daily akuma attack. He said it lovingly. She thought he said it jokingly. That was before. Before all of this happened. Before Adrien got hurt, before their identities were revealed. Ladybug faltered.

"I don't want to see the rest of them get hurt," she answered. "You're right, this isn't just another akuma. It is one of the two most powerful miraculous. We had a hard enough time with the akuma, can you imagine new super heroes fighting... him? If anyone goes down, it should be me. I know what I got myself into when I accepted this miraculous."

"So did they, Ladybug. So did they," Peacock said simply. "I know I can't stop you. I know I can't help you. But remember, you're all I have left now. You can't die on me. Please. I'm begging you!" He sounded so heartbroken that Ladybug considered turning around, maybe calling Alya and asking the team to regroup. But another scream echoed across the streets of Paris and she continued on.

"I know, chaton. I won't leave you. I could never leave you. But I have to try. I won't do it if it looks too risky, and I'll back out if it gets too rough."

"Oh look, a few dozen undead minions. Looks too risky already," Peacock deadpanned, pointing at the swarm. Ladybug huffed.

"I know," she admitted. For once, you're absolutely right."

"You mean paw-sitively right."

For once, Ladybug bit her tongue before she joked about dropping him. Because she couldn't even joke about something anymore, especially something like that. Peacock seemed uncomfortable too, because he shifted against her side. Maybe he was just trying to find the least painful way to travel. "We're getting close," she muttered, observing how more and more undead seemed to be clustered around the area, watching and waiting. Peacock bristled beside her.

Using all of the stealth and the Ladybug luck she could muster, Ladybug crept along in the shadows. Her red suit wasn't the best camouflage, but she had long since learned to work with it. Finally she stopped and peered into the park. She gasped in absolute horror to see her beloved bakery home. Now, it was just a pile of rubble and some jagged pieces of wood. Paris looked like it had been bombed.

The park had been stripped of trees, but the fence around it was still standing. Hundreds of undead people stood inside of the park, silent. Standing in the center of the park, on top of the podium that used to bear the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue, stood a larger, and admittedly more fearsome, version of Chat Noir.

Ladybug found a building along the edge of the park that was only half demolished, and had somewhat stable places to hide on the roof. She immediately set Peacock down. The boy curled up against a broken chimney missing half of its bricks, clutching both hands to his sides.

"AH-AH-AH..." Ladybug quickly shoved a finger under Peacock's nose to silence the sneeze.

"I'm going to go in there," she told him. He nearly fell off of the roof.

"What?" he hissed. "Are you crazy? That park is full to the brim of indestructible soldiers. You would be outnumbered like 453 to 1!"

"If I can use the element of surprise and attack him directly instead of having to stroll through his little army, then I won't have to deal with it."

"And after he notices you?"

"I'll wing it from there."

There was a moment of silence.

"Ladybug, Marinette, please don't!" He looked up at her with big, pleading green eyes. They were slowly filling with tears. "I get that you feel like this is your fault, and I know that you feel like you have to fix it immediately. But you have no plan, no backup, no partner, and no hope. If you have to die to fix this..." Adrien took in a deep, shuddering breath and let it out again. "Then die a hero, not a martyr."

"I'm sorry, Adrien. I have to try." She leaned down and kissed him softly, ruffling his hair. "I'll be right back."

She looked back at him one last time before pulling her yoyo off of her hip and swinging down to attack Gabriel. She left a weary, tear-soaked, and terrified boy in her wake. "Please Ladybug, please come back safely," he whispered into the night air. "What would Paris do without you? What would the rest of the team do without you?" He paused for a minute, staring at the moon through the thick smoke. "What would I do without you?"

############################################################################################################################################################

"Everybody, does the subway still work?" Queen Bee asked, diving down into the station. Many gasps rose from the crowd. Queen Bee introduced herself and Volpino briefly. Thankfully, the subway system had not been shut down for hope that Paris could be evacuated more easily.

Suddenly, someone in the back of the crown let out a blood-curdling scream. Down from the other entrance marched nearly a dozen undead. "Everybody, out this way, go!" Queen Bee ordered, shouting over the crowd. "Find any operative vehicle! Make sure the owners are with you or already got out safely! Drive as far away as you can! Hurry!"

Volpino, thinking that this was either the bravest or the stupidest thing he had ever done, leapt over the heads of many people in the crowd and landed firmly in between them and the undead. He blew into his flute. Suddenly, several more generic people appeared. They were just visions, but they ran at the very back of the crowd so that every time one of the undead reached for someone, they would dissolve into orange dust.

Finally, the undead got frustrated and turned to the source of the problem, ignoring Queen Bee, who was directing the flow of traffic and checking up on everybody, and surrounding Volpino. He squealed as he realized he was boxed in, desperately swinging his flute around and getting in a few hits. He jumped backwards, and nearly screamed as it launched him into a full back flip, sending him over and outside of the undead.

Volpino grinned, feeling slightly more confident. He whipped out his flute and played several notes. More undead soldiers burst into existence, blocking the way of the real ones. Of course, whenever they were punched hard enough, they instantly dissolved. But it distracted the others as they fought their way through. Real undead ended up repeatedly punching other real undead, nearly taking their own army out.

Eventually, they got through. One grabbed Volpino's arm, while another snatched his flute out of his hand. Two more tackled him to the ground, pinning him down. The first one raised a fist to punch him and knock him out, but before he could, a flash of yellow zipped by and all five of them froze. Queen Bee didn't hesitate to yank Volpino up. He noticed that she had a scratch on her cheek, and blood was running down it.

"Thanks," he said gratefully. She nodded. "What happened to you?" Queen Bee motioned to the other seven undead, who were busy putting themselves back together and dragging each other to their feet.

"We bought the civilians a lot of time. Let's get out of here before they fully reassemble," she said. She and Volpino dashed out the exit that the undead had come in from, heading deeper into the heart of Paris.

############################################################################################################################################################

Papillon and Jade Turtle had their hands full. After finally convincing all of the mostly drunk people at a bar that they really did need to flee before the destruction reached them, they had to deal with a hysterical mother, and an ex-marine who insisted he could fight with them. Now they were running from door to door, waking everybody up, helping people off of the streets, and sending them away in buses and cars.

Papillon slumped against a wall. "Got to keep going," she said, gasping for breath. Jade crouched with his hands on his knees, panting.

"How do you think the others are holding up?" he asked, gasping. Papillon shrugged.

"They all went into the more dangerous parts of the city. Even Queen Bee and Volpino. Unless that was just to throw us off."

"I'm worried about Adrien," Jade admitted, standing back up. Papillon nodded in agreement.

"He can't fight. He can barely walk. He's a sitting duck. I'm just scared for Mar-Ladybug. She feels really guilty, and she's horrified at all of what's happened. She'll do something reckless if she can get away with it..."

"Adrien can stop her, right?" Jade Turtle asked hopefully. Papillon shook her head.

"I sure hope so. I don't think anything could stop her though, and Adrien can only use words, he couldn't physically restrain her." Papillon paused. "We should call them and make sure they're okay."

"Well, if there's one thing Adrien did get from the Agreste family tree, it was stubborness," Jade reassured her. He whipped his shell shield (which doubled as a communication device) off of his back. Before he could dial though, somebody stepped out of the shadows.

"Excuse me, but did you say Agreste? As in, Adrien Agreste?" a soft, feminine voice asked. Papillon whirled around.

"You need to evacuate, lady!" she cried exasperatingly. "Come on, we were just about to go finish this county. We'll find you a car or something."

The woman held out her hand to stop them, and stepped partially out of the shadows. "Is he in any danger? Oh my god..." The woman suddenly covered her mouth. "Please tell me he's not a miraculous wielder."

"How do you know what miraculous are, dude?"

The lady stepped fully out of the shadows so that they could see her appearance. She had long, honey blonde hair that was braided over her shoulder. Her vibrant green eyes looked far too familiar. Other than that, she had a very nice figure, and was wearing jeans and a nice blouse.

"Because I used to wield one," she answered. "Does he wield one? Is he okay? Has he ever been hurt?"

"Uh, can't tell you that," Jade stuttered. "Who are you, and why do you look familiar?"

"My name is Emily Dausi, formally Emily Agreste. Adrien is my son."

############################################################################################################################################################

Ladybug threw herself at Chat Noir. He didn't notice her until it was too late. Her yoyo slammed against his head, making him lose his balance and topple into the crowd of undead soldiers. Ladybug jumped down on top of him, batting a few of them away.

Chat Noir quickly recovered and spun to his feet, whipping out his baton and extending it towards Ladybug. She jumped over it, and then ducked as he swung it at her and rolled, returning to her feet. She lifted her yoyo, but an undead soldier grabbed her arm, yanking her backwards. She scrambled away from it, only to be closed in on all sides. She growled as she spun her yoyo around, using it as a shield.

When Chat leapt, she barely managed to dodge. His baton briefly hit her shoulder, leaving what she knew would be a nasty bruise. She backflipped over some undead and through a few punches at him, one of which hit his jawline. While he was momentarily distracted, she reached for the cat miraculous...

Only to be tripped and pinned down by several undead soldiers. Squirming furiously, she flipped about and kicked. Nothing helped, there were way too many, coming in from all sides. It was impossible to get free. Her yoyo was torn out of her hand and Chat walked over triumphantly.

"Looks like I finally win, Ladybug," he cackled. He reached down, fingering her earlobe for a second before pulling the back off of her left earring.


	35. Mamma Mayhem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most asked question: Will you be making a sequel, and when will it be started? I have decided I will be making a sequel. It will have a bit of a different style, but I think you'll enjoy it. I won't leave this story on a cliffhanger, so it's not a 'You have to read the sequel or you will be stuck in suspense' type ending. But the sequel will have a majority of the fluff, romance, and stuff that this fic lacks. I'll post a link in the last chapter of this fic.

**Chapter 35: Mamma Mayhem**

"W-What?" Jade asked again, feeling weak. Papillon's jaw dropped and she took a defensive stance.

"You can't be! You're dead! Everybody knows that! And you didn't mysteriously 'die' either. There are pictures from the funeral! Mrs. Agreste's body is in the coffin! Who are you really?" Papillon growled. Emily 'Agreste' held her hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"There are ways to make yourself appear... dead," Emily told them. There were tears in her eyes. "I didn't want to leave them. I really didn't. I loved Gabe, and leaving my baby boy broke my heart..."

"Then why did you?" Jade asked, confused. "And why did you have to fake your own death? Adrien was never the same after you died! I didn't even know him them! His father never paid him any attention! He was shunned and hurt repeatedly! And it's all your fault!"

Nino had been planning this lecture for years. After befriending Adrien, it made him angrier and angrier every single day that Adrien came into class with a frown on his face, or couldn't hang out because he had to go learn another useless skill that he didn't want to. Heck, Nino got angry whenever Adrien did have rare free time to do something fun, because he got so over-excited about something that was perfectly normal for everyone else on the planet.

The Bubbler was just the beginning. Nino kept his cool, comforted Adrien when he needed it, hung out with him when he could, ranted to Alya, and had currently written an extensive list of curse words in his head for the next time that he saw Gabriel. Yelling at Gabriel for all of this, however, was no longer the best option. Nino had to take his frustration out on someone!

"I did it to protect them!" Emily sniffled. "Somebody from my past was... threatening me. With their safety. I couldn't let him hurt them... I had to die. I had to get out of their way. I just wanted Adrien to be safe..."

"Well news flash, he wasn't very 'safe'! And he was the loneliest, most miserable kid on the planet! He lived in an emotional void, trapped inside of his mansion 24/7 unless he had a rare outdoors photo shoot, and he had no friends, and no one who loved him! He nearly broke himself before he convinced his father to let him go to public school!" Jade yelled at her angrily.

"Well, at least you can't blame yourself for all of the danger he got into as Chat Noir," Papillon offered, resting a hand on Jade Turtle's shoulder to calm him down. Emily covered her eyes.

"Chat Noir? Why would Fu pick my baby, of all people, to be Chat Noir?"

"Because he freakin' deserved it, that's why!" Jade answered sharply. Emily sucked in a deep breath.

"Please," she begged. "Please tell me he's not somewhere in the midst of this chaos trying to fight." Papillon and Jade nodded. She took in a deep, shuddering breath and then released it. "What's going on here? Why do you have my miraculous, why do you have Fu's miraculous, and where are Chat Noir and Ladybug?"

"Funny story," Papillon answered nervously. "After you 'died', your husband practically went crazy. He traded part of his soul for evil so that he could take advantage of Nooroo and capture the cat and ladybug miraculous. He had been trying to capture them, while unknowingly fighting his own son and Ladybug, for two years."

"And then?" Emily asked fearfully, not wanting to know the rest. As Papillon explained the events of the past week, Emily's face grew paler and paler until she looked like she was about to faint.

"And then we met you," Papillon finished. Emily shot to her feet.

"Where's Adrien?" she demanded. "We need to go find him. I don't care if my old threat realizes I'm still alive. I've got to get to my baby boy. He has to be okay! And... I need to be the one to stop Gabriel. He's my husband. I never imagined he could have... Or he would... This is all my fault!"

"Please don't blame yourself," Papillon said gently.

"Well, it is kind of her fault," Jade said, still very angry. Papillon elbowed him quite forcefully, which shut him up.

"That attitude is what's been driving Marinette insane! She wants to give up her miraculous when all of this is over because of it!" Papillon reminded him. She lifted the top of her cane and dialed Peacock (because all of the active miraculous numbers were somehow pre-programmed into it). The call connected and Adrien's pale and very anxious face appeared.

"Alya, you need to get over here! Marinette went to face my fa-Gabriel by herself! I couldn't stop her, you have to come over here and help! She can't win this fight, I know she can't!"

Emily blanched at her son's panicked voice. "We're coming, Adrien," Papillon reassured the boy. We'll be over there ASAP. Where are you?"

"The park," he replied. "Call the others, you'll need them. And please hurry," he glanced over his shoulder at Ladybug, who had just launched herself at Chat Noir. "The sooner the better!"

The call disconnected. Papillon looked up. "Jade, take Emily and use your super speed to get her over there right now!" She cried. "I'll call Volpino and Queen Bee and we'll be right behind you!" Jade Turtle nodded and grabbed Emily's hand, almost dragging her along as he burst into his super speed mode. Papillon immedietaly dialed Volpino, not really sure if she wanted to talk to Queen Bee.

############################################################################################################################################################

_Flashback:_

_"You're expendable, you know that Em. We don't need you. But others need that information you got up here," the crudely dressed man with the gruff voice tapped her head. Emily Agreste bravely stood her ground, not daring to show the fear that she felt._

_"They'll never get it," she reassured him. "There's_ _nothing they can offer me. I have all I could be bribed_ _with. Money, power... You have no need to worry."_

_The man snorted and elbowed his buddy. "Oh, but you're a loose thread, Miss Peacock. I don't like leaving loose threads hanging. Easier to cut 'em off and be done with 'em."_

_"Please," Emily resorted to begging. "I have a husband and a child! I won't tell on you, if not for my sake but theirs!"_

_The man seemed to think that over. He turned to his buddy, who shrugged. "Alright," he relented, facing back to Emily. "I'll let you go, but only because I had a kid of my own once. But rest assured, one word of this operation to anybody, and you'll be dead before you know what happened."_

_He_ _cut the ropes and handed Emily back_ _her brooch. "Wait," his buddy said. The first guy turned around._

_"Yeah?"_

_"I say we let her go on one condition. She uses them fancy Peacock powers of hers to help run our operation. She got too much spare time anyways," he said. He grinned evilly. "And she got far too much to lose."_

_"Good idea, mate. You hear that, Em? That's_ _our deal. You help up out, and we leave you and your precious family alone." Emily visibly paled, clutching the Peacock miraculous in her hand._

_"D-Deal," she stuttered. The men laughed._

_"Great. We'll have someone contact you soon. But now, you better scamper on home before someone_ _notices you were missin'!"_

 _Emily Agreste dashed out of the warehouse, not daring to transform_ _until she got far, far away. Pavvo_ _flew out of her pocket. "You just agreed to help the largest drug smuggling operation_ _in the country!" The little_ _bird squeaked. "What were_ _you thinking?"_

 _"I had to keep them safe!" Emily_ _insisted. "Gabriel... Adrien... They're everything to me!"_

 _"You do realize that by helping those guys, you will be endangering many other families, right?" Pavvo_ _asked. "You're Peacock! Your husband is Papillon! You could just take them out!"_

 _"It isn't that simple, Pavvo!" Emily replied desperately. "They have ties in every country in the_ _world! We_ _take out the leaders, or even one or two of the main bases_ _of the_ _operation, and we'll have millions of other thugs and employees trying to kill us! I'd be killed before I even took out the ringleaders! And Gabriel and Adrien_ _would be the next targets!"_

 _Pavvo_ _hung her little head, desperately trying to think of a solution. "You need to tell Gabriel," she advised. Emily shook her head._

 _"You know he'd drive himself insane with worry! He wouldn't let me go anywhere or do anything, and then I wouldn't be able to uphold my end of the bargain. Plus, Gabriel hasn't transformed_ _in years! And now he has his huge fashion industry_ _to take of and we have Adrien to raise..."_

 _"You should talk to Ladybug and Chat Noir," Pavvo_ _suggested. "They're the ones fighting this major corporation!"_

 _Emily shook her head. "That_ _was years ago, Pav. Now they're married and they have a daughter of their own, and their own_ _bakery business! Their miraculous have probably already been de-activated! Papi and I were given miraculous to pick_ _up their slack since the corporation got less dangerous!"_

 _"Then I don't know what to do..." Pavvo_ _whispered._

 _"We'll figure something out," Emily_ _sighed. "Right_ _now, we should get home before Gabe realizes I'm gone. Pavvo, feathers on!"_

_End Flashback._

############################################################################################################################################################

"Looks like I finally win, Ladybug," Chat Noir cackled. He reached down, fingering her earlobe for a second before pulling the back off of her left earring.

That's when Adrien snapped.

He threw himself onto his father's back, effectively knocking him off of her. Ladybug grabbed the earring back and shoved it onto the earring post, so that her miraculous couldn't fall out. Peacock and Chat rolled a few times, nearly crushing each other, before Chat shoved Peacock aside and jumped backwards.

"Emily?" he whispered.

"Not quite," the familiar voice answered him. Gabriel looked down in horror as his son struggled to stand. The mask did nothing to hide his identity at this point. Ladybug bolted forward, but undead soldiers grabbed her and yanked her backwards. More undead went to grab Peacock, but Chat held up his hand and they halted.

"Adrien? You're wielding..."

"My mother's miraculous? Yeah! Let Ladybug go," he growled, narrowing his eyes.

"You shouldn't be fighting... You were so badly hurt..."

"Yeah, by you. And every second I stand here it gets worse. So I'm going to say this one last time. Let. Ladybug. Go."

"Adrien, son, you don't understand! We could bring your mother back! We could bring her back and we could all be happy again! I'd give you back your miraculous, I'd give Ladybug back her miraculous! All will be as it was, except you could have a mother again!"

Ladybug was nervous. It was such a tempting offer. It was such a tempting offer, she didn't know if she'd be able to refuse if she was Adrien. Except she knew that Gabriel was lying. If he took her miraculous, he would have power over everything. Over life and death, good and evil, creation and destruction. Such power would get to a man's head, and he'd never be able to give it up.

Peacock ripped off his mask so that his father could see his face clearly. The magic let him remove it at his own will. He squeezed his eyes shut, torn between the false promise of what he had always wanted, and the greater good. Finally, his eyes snapped back open.

"No," he said quietly.

"What?" Gabriel was shocked. How could the boy refuse? His mother was all he had ever wanted!

"I said, NO!" Adrien yelled again. He put his mask back on. "Now LET HER GO!" Peacock launched himself at Chat Noir, knocking him over and shoving his elbow into the man's throat. Gabriel regretdley grabbed Peacock's injured hand and twisted, wincing as he heard the boy howl in his ear.

He felt Peacock's knee connect with his spleen, so Chat Noir instinctively bucked, knocking Peacock off of him. He spun around, his leg making serious contact with Peacock's side. The boy yelled and then curled up into a ball, gasping. Tears from the pain were streaming down his face.

Gabriel looked down at his son, huddled up into a ball and softly crying. He felt the pain of his decision stab him in the gut, but he shoved it down. He could heal Adrien. He could fix all of this. The boy would forgive him when he realized how much better it would be.

His undead soldiers had been screaming and chanting, stomping their feet and shouting battle cries. He raised a hand and silenced them, walking slowly over to Ladybug and grabbing her chin, tilting her head up to look at her face more clearly. He wanted to remember this day.

"Please... don't..." Adrien gasped, unable to move but still protesting in his weakened state. Gabriel swallowed and ignored him.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience," he casually apologized to Ladybug, who squirmed and wriggled but could do nothing to free herself from the hands holding her still. She glared at him.

"Gabriel Agreste, you think you'll be able to do this safely and return everything the way it was, but you can't!" she yelled at him. "The power will consume you!" His gaze softened.

"Ladybug, have you ever lost someone you loved?" he asked her.

"N-no," she stuttered. "But I will if you don't let me fix this and then take care of your son!"

They both glanced over at Adrien, whose eyes were now closed. His breathing was unsteady, and his face was far paler than normal. Ladybug bit her lip in anger that the man before her seemed so regretful yet so nonchalant about it.

"I can fix it too, Ladybug. The power won't consume me. I'm a lot stronger than you think!" Gabriel told her. "It'll be fine, you'll see! I just hope you will forgive me, and I think you will. The world can be so much better this way!"

He reached out and wasted no time in pulling off Ladybug's earrings. A flash of pink light, and she was Marinette again. He smiled a bit. "Of course the Dupain-Cheng's daughter would be Ladybug. It all makes too much sense. You have superhero running through your blood."

Tikki angrily launched herself at him, but he grabbed her out of the air and held her close. He nodded at his undead soldiers, who released Marinette and shoved her towards Adrien. She tripped and sprawled out on the smoking ground, before pulling herself to her feet and spinning back around. But it was too late. And there was no way she could fight him as Marinette. He was about to become the most powerful force in the universe...

"Don't you dare, Gabriel Agreste!" a female voice shouted. Everyone spun around and stared at the blonde woman, standing determinedly on top of a building, her hands on her hips.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: Flashback**

Emily Dausi's parents were not the nicest people. It was surprising, considering that their daughter was one of the kindest, most lovely people on the planet. Perhaps it was because she had been raised in so much violence and despair that her sense of empathy never left her. Perhaps she vowed to never be like her own parents, and to take care of others instead of harming them.

'Not the nicest people' is an understatement. A very big understatement. Her father had always been into drugs, an addiction which started way back in his teenage years. Her mother hung out with the wrong sort of crowd. She was a model, but she hated the life of fame and beauty and became quite rebellious. She fell for her father, a rebellious (though quite handsome) young man who could take her away from the spotlight and give her the life she wanted.

They eloped and ran off into the big city of Paris, where they lived in Mr. Dausi's small, one room apartment. Mrs. Dausi became pregnant shortly afterward, and a year later they had Emily. The really did love their daughter. She was their pride and joy. But like every good story, things did not stay happy for long.

Mr. Dausi had gotten over his drug addiction almost completely, but he owed a large sum of money to one of the biggest drug dealing corporations in the world. This corporation was so big that people dared not whisper it's name aloud in the streets. It had eyes and ears everywhere. The police force could not keep up with it, and many officers lost their lives making futile attempts to stop it.

The Dausi's didn't have a lot of money, and they didn't have nearly enough to pay off his debt (even though they both worked several jobs and even worked nights, to the point where they barely slept).

They had done what they could, paying back little by little. Eventually, the head of the corporation (at least, the head of the part of the corporation running in Paris) got frustrated. He needed that money, and in his opinion he had given Dausi far too long to get it to him. It was easier to shoot the man and his family, take the little money he had left, and sell of his possessions.

Now, Mr. Dausi was not a stupid man, he was in fact very intelligent. He knew that it would come to that eventually, and he made a deal. If he and his wife worked for the corporation performing easy (yet dirty) jobs around the city, they would be allowed to live and raise their daughter. The corporation head agreed. This, after all, was how he got a majority of his eyes and ears around the city.

So began a dark life style for Emily Dausi. She grew up in a household where although crime was said to be wrong, it was committed every day. Her parents tried to hide their illegal activity from their beloved daughter, but the corporation had high demands. They were barely able to raise her, but at least she was alive. That was all they could hope for.

One day, a new hope arrived to the Dausi family. Two super heroes by the name of Ladybug and Chat Noir. They looked to be teenagers, but they fought the drug smuggling corporation (which had quickly become one of the greatest threats the world had ever faced) with vengeance. They managed to shut down a few centers and capture several of the higher ranked members of the corporation, but they were fighting a losing battle.

It was like fighting a hydra. You cut off one head, two more appeared in it's place. But the corporation could not hold out forever. As people grew more and more aware of them even the smallest illegal activities that most people ignored where being reported, and Ladybug and Chat Noir were always there in the nick of time, stopping the tiny sales and robberies on which the corporation depended.

Finally, the leaders of the operation began to grow desperate. They banded together with smaller corporations, hired any fools they could find, and threatened people to join them. Emily was now a teenager, and she couldn't help but find out about what was going on because of her parents increased work load. She was angry, but she couldn't help but understand why they were doing out.

Finally, Emily went off to High School. During those few years, Ladybug and Chat Noir furiously ripped through hundreds of drug smuggling plants, schemes, and operatives. Finally, the system crumbled and fell. People got braver and left the corporation, and the police were running people through their version of the Witness Protection Program like crazy. But it was worth it, because with the fleeing people came a motherlode of valuable information.

Finally, Ladybug and Chat Noir announced formally that they were retiring. People expressed serious concerns, but the super hero duo assured the people of Paris that some new super heroes would come up and pick up their slack.

Meanwhile, Emily made lots of friends and got excellent grades. She was very beautiful, but what won most people over was her kindness. She was compassionate towards everyone, even Andre Bourgeois, the snobby rich son of the current mayor. Emily hated the drug smugglers with a burning passion, and every day she wished she could do something to help.

That all changed three weeks after Ladybug and Chat Noir retired. She found a little brown jewelry box sitting on her dresser. Curious, she opened it. And thus began her whole new, exciting, double life as the super hero Peacock.

That same night, she met her partner, Papillon. He was brave and strong, and quite handsome. He was always loud and joyful, and she loved him and his happy spirit. The two began to fight the corporation, as well as other small crimes. During that time, she got a full ride scholarship to a fancy college and began modelling for the Agreste family line, which was just getting on their feet but was already insanely popular.

There, she spent most of her time avoiding the owner's son. Felix Agreste, the current owner, and his lovely wife Bridgette, only had one son. Gabriel Agreste was often quiet and sullen. He got his work done, but he was very critical and not very kind at all. He took a liking towards Emily, though (perhaps too much of a liking) which gave her a popularity boost in Felix's eyes, but she only had eyes for her partner.

One fateful day, she went on patrol without Papillon and the drug smugglers set up an ambush, they tied her up and dragged her back to their Paris leader, who was very shocked to find out that Peacock was just the shy, dedicated daughter of the Dausi family. He let her go, but with a promise that she would not fight them again, and she would come back to him in five years. It was an odd request, but she was forced to accept it.

What she did not know was that the leader was planning on using those five years to rebuild his falling empire, without the hindrance or help of super heroes. Then, after everything was just the way he wanted it, he would force Emily to work for him by threatening her family and her life. Another part of the reason he didn't want her to help with his rebuilding was because then she could make friends within the corporation and she would know too much about it. This was the safest and most convenient way to handle things.

During those five years, a lot of things happened. Love, identity reveals, marriage, and then a child. Adrien Agreste was his parent's pride and joy. They loved their son so much. Peacock and Papillon were no longer needed, as the corporation seemed to have 'disappeared' so the duo stopped transforming and focused more on the company and raising Adrien. Emily nearly forgot the impending date of her 'meeting' with the head of the corporation.

Five years came to an end, and she met up with him (which you read about last chapter). It went as well as expected, and ended with her running out in tears. She had to figure a way out. She had to protect her family! But she couldn't put Paris in any danger either...

Eventually, Emily became so panicked and grief stricken that the only logical solution came to her mind. She had to fake her own death. With her out of the way, the corporation would have no reason to target her and her family. They would be left alone, and she wouldn't be helping them. That meant no one got hurt.

It took a lot of digging around in old library books, and some magical knowledge from Pavvo, but she finally managed to find a way to make herself appear dead. "Like Juliet," she thought bitterly at the time. She gave her husband and son some extra attention for the days leading up to her 'death'. Even the staff noticed her odd behavior. She was with them every second she could be, constantly reminding them of her love.

And then came the day that one of the house cleaners walked into Emily's office to find her one the floor, pale and unmoving. Alarm raced through the Agreste mansion as they rushed to get the news to Gabriel. Apparently, she had a heart attack. The doctors couldn't figure out why, or where it came from. But it had been fatal.

The funeral, the flowers, the casseroles. It was all a blur for little Adrien. He was devastated. Chloe was as well. But Gabriel was the most devastated of all. He had never really cared for anyone else but her. She was the light of his life, the path to follow. She was the silver lining to the dark cloud that was his life. He didn't know what to do with himself anymore.

Nooroo tried to help. With Emily's death, Pavvo had gone back inside of the Peacock miraculous. Gabriel did not return it to Master Fu. Instead, he kept it locked up in a safe hidden behind her portrait. But Nooroo was a naïve kwami at the time. His miraculous had not been active for long.

Then, on a trip to Tibet for a fashion week, Gabriel made a discovery that could change everything. He found and ancient book, a book with magic and secrets and miraculous. He managed to slip it from the current owner. When he got home, he poured over the pages, making Nooroo decipher little by little. It was then that he realized that he could bring her back. He just needed the ladybug and cat miraculous.

But those had been inactive for years. He checked with Tom and Sabine. They had give Plagg and Tikki up. So there needed to be another great danger to the world... So he began to create his akuma. He made a deal with the devil, and now he had the ability to force his powers on people regardless of whether or not they wanted them.

It apparently did not tale long for Master Fu to sense the upcoming danger. Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up the moment he released his first akuma. They were clumsy and awkward, unfamiliar with each other. But he was just starting as well. In the end, they won. But he vowed that he could get their miraculous eventually. They were mere teenagers. They could not stand up to him for long...

How very wrong he was.

Ladybug and Chat Noir managed to beat every single akuma he threw at them. It didn't matter who, why, when, or where. They showed up, and they kicked his ass. There was no escaping the defeat. He grew angrier and more frustrated each time. He began to grow desperate.

Nooroo also began to grow weak and desperate. He had tried pleading, persuasion, logic. Nothing worked. He couldn't stop Gabriel from the goal that was quickly over-taking his mind. Finally, Gabriel grew tired of waiting in the shadows. He stored up negative energy for weeks before he stumbled upon the man that became The Trapper. A hunter, skilled and capable of catching almost anything.

The plan was to catch Chat Noir and lure Ladybug in with him. He had figured he could get information out of Chat. He figured that Chat would be the weak link. He had figured wrong. And then when Ladybug refused to come and save her partner... Well that's when his plan started to go down in flames. He had laid everything out so carefully.

The revelation that Chat Noir was his own son destroyed him. Now he had no goal other then to fix his mess. He didn't care who he would have to hurt or kill to get those miraculous, he could fix it all later. More and more of Gabriel began to disappear as the evil took over his panicked mind.

So now he stood, completely frozen and holding the two objects that he had been so desperate to take in his hands. His son was whimpering on the ground behind him, with the girl beneath the Ladybug mask desperately trying to keep him conscience. And in front of him stood his wife.

This was al for her. It all started because he needed her back. Every single thing that he had done over the past five years had been for the sole purpose of bringing her back. He had hurt and misused people. He had tortured his own son. And now here she was, standing in front of him alive and healthy.

"Give me the miraculous, Gabriel." A command, uttered softly but it seemed as though she had screamed it. Green eyes locked onto stormy blue. He didn't even notice several more teenagers land softly behind Emily. He could only focus on her.

He didn't need to do this anymore. He could give the miraculous back and then they could live happily ever after. That was all he ever wanted. That was all she wanted, right? But he couldn't do it. The power was coursing through his veins. Little voices whispered tempting offers to him. HE could hear the voices of Tikki and Plagg too, trying to drown the others out.

Adrien was still hurt. The world was in ruins. Humans fought and killed each other. There were diseases, and starvation, and cruelty. He could fix all of it. He could fix not only his own problems, but the problems of the world. He would be praised and worshiped, glorified as a god! And his wife would be right there beside him...

"Give me the miraculous, Gabe," Emily said again, more forcefully. She took a step forward. He cackled as his fist clenched around the miraculous.

"No."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry... Honestly the only chapter that I don't think will have a cliffhanger will be the last one. But what did you expect from me?


	37. The Final Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is. The chapter most of you have been waiting for. I really hope it fulfills your expectations. I really tried on this one. It's also about a page and a half longer than normal chapters. Ignore typos, I stayed up REALLY late to bring you this. Anyways, enjoy!

**Chapter 37: The Final Battle**

_"Give me the miraculous, Gabe," Emily said again, more forcefully. She took a step forward. He cackled as his fist clenched around the miraculous._

_"No."_

"Why are you doing this?" Emily hissed. "Why are you hurting people? Why were you mistreating Nooroo? Why are you torturing Plagg? What happened to my loving husband?" The tears pooled in her green eyes. "WHY WOULD YOU HURT MY SON?" she screamed, pointing at Adrien. Gabriel's fist clenched tighter.

"HE'S MY SON JUST AS MUCH AS HE IS YOURS!" he screamed back. "This was all for you! All to bring you back! Do you realize the LIVING HELL I went through when you died! Why are you here now? How did you come back to life?"

"I never died, Gabriel. You were in a great danger! They were going to kill you. They were going to KILL Adrien! I needed to fake my own death, I HAD to do it! There was no other way!" Emily cried out. "And I knew that it would hurt you greatly, but you would be alive! Adrien would be alive! Our baby boy could have grown up and made something of himself! He could have a happy life! And at least he would have one parent to care for him."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST TELL ME?" Gabriel roared.

"It wasn't that simple!" Emily protested. "But we can fix this. Give me those miraculous. They belong to their rightful owners. You don't have to do this. I'm alive. I can hide! I can be a part of your life. Adrien," she nearly choked over her tears, "Adrien can heal. But he won't be able to if we give him too much longer."

Gabriel (underneath his black mask as Chat Noir) glanced back and forth from his wife, tearful yet as strong and poised as ever, and his beloved, very injured son. He was pale and soaked with sweat, yet he was cold and clammy. His hand shook as he tried to open it and drop the miraculous. But he wouldn't let himself. The little voices whispered tempting offers in his ears. False promises of a perfect life.

"Don't you see, Emily?" he whispered. "We could have Euphoria. We could have everything. There would be no more tears, no more hurting, no more maiming, and no more killing. No more wars, no more bloodshed. We could create the perfect universe, and we could rule it. Our son could be raised as a god! Kings and queens will worship our names! You can join me! We can fix this broken world!"

"No we can't," she said firmly. "There is no way to prevent cruelty without cruelty. You cannot prevent war without shedding blood. You cannot stop crime without punishing criminals. There is no such thing as a perfect world."

"You don't understand!" Gabriel yelled back, getting angrier and more frustrated as the argument went on. His face was red and his fists were shaking. "I have to do this!"

"No you DON'T! You have a choice, Gabriel. You've ALWAYS had a choice! Let it go, come back to us! Please," she begged. "Please don't let the evil overtake you! Don't let the power take over your mind!"

Suddenly, a dark voice that certainly was not Gabriel's poured out of his mouth. "It's too late!"

A cyclone of blackness swirled around Gabriel as he slipped the earrings next to the ring, melding them into one single entity. Darkness bubbled around him and mutilated him. His form twisted and stretched, morphing him from a person into some sort of hideous monster.

It stood over 30 feet tall. It was hard to tell whether it was a person, a ghost, or a demon. The features of a person were barely recognizable, except for two red hot eyes. Lava seemed to bubble and boil inside of them, churning around and piercing the soul of whoever he glared at.

His body was a mixture of liquid, gas, and solid. It was a dark energy in every form possible, and it was hideous. The smell of burning sulphur penetrated the air as it melted the grass, dirt, and rock it was standing on. The undead standing close to him disintegrated in the heat pouring off of him.

At the same time, inside of the dark shell, a bright light shone from inside of the crature. It was blinding, but slightly covered. It was like a hot sun stuck behind storm clouds, there and visible but just out of reach. It contributed to the warmth rolling off of... Gabriel. If it even was Gabriel anymore.

Emily gasped in horror as she was forced to back away. Queen Bee dashed around the monster as it was forming, scooping up Adrien. Volpino followed and grabbed Marinette's hand, just barely getting the two to safety before they would have burned to death.

"No," Emily whispered. "NOOOOO!" She watched in despair as her husband completed the transformation, rolling his great beastly head around on his neck experimentally. He cackled as he looked down at the frightened teenagers.

"Aw, do the mere mortals think that they can beat me?" he asked in a voice that sounded like a combination of nails on a chalkboard and a horrible scream of pain. Its sent shivers down their spine and made every single one of them want to run, to get away as fast as possible and save themselves.

Emily snatched the Peacock pin off of Adrien's chest. He detransformed, gasping in pain in his unconscious state as his pain tolerance immediately decreased. Pavvo slammed herself into her old wielder's side. "Emily!" she shrieked happily. "He absorbed too much evil before the ultimate transformation! He's-"

"Unbalanced, I know! The evil in his soul has tipped the scale of creation and destruction. The destruction is destroying the creation! The yin is being eaten alive by the yang! Soon, it will be too late and the world will perish! Pavvo, feathers out!"

Her transformation flashed blue, and before them stood a brilliant bird superhero. She wore a royal blue jumpsuit, and a beautiful tail fanned out behind her. She had peacock fabric wrapped around her ankles and wrists, flowing behind her slightly. On her belt were two giant metal fans, which she pulled out and swirled around impressively. Her blonde hair was pulled partly on top of her head, and a royal blue mask covered her eyes.

Marinette warily eyed the undead circling them. Never before had she felt such terror. Every akuma scared her, and every time she had managed to be brave and confident. Now all confidence was lost. Before her was the epitome of evil, and the end of the world as she knew it. Defeat reeked off of it, filling her soul with the knowledge that there was no way to win this fight.

"There's nothing you can do, puny heroes!" the monster laughed mockingly. He uprooted a tree with a flick of his hand, flinging it at them. They screamed and jumped out of the way. Peacock scooped Adrien up as Jade curled himself around Papillon and Volpino shoved Queen Bee out of the way. He barely managed to escape the tree as it left a twenty foot trench in what used to be the ground. Marinette shrieked as she tumbled out of the way, tree branches scraping her severely. But at least she had escaped an early death.

Jade pulled himself off of Papillon and grabbed Adrien out of Peacock's arms, cradling his best friend bridal style. "We have to get Adrien out of here!"

"We have to get out of here!" Volpino squeaked, pulling up Queen Bee who quickly thanked him for pushing her out of the way. He had earned a rather large scrape across his cheek, whereas she was fine. To their surprise, it was Marinette who spoke up.

"We can't, she said resolutely as she snap-kicked an undead person who had come to close. Its head toppled to the ground. More undead crowded in from all sides. The others stared in shock.

"Yes, go play with them, my pets," the monster chuckled. "I could kill them quickly, but where's the fun in that?" His wicked red eyes seemed to belong to the devil himself. "They must suffer." The light inside of the dark hull seemed to be diminishing quickly.

"We can't run," Marinette repeated. "We're the world's final hope, like it or not. We can't be afraid to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good. I know Adrien is unconscious right now, but he would say the same thing. The first day I became a super hero, I was ready to give up. And that was just fighting an akuma. I didn't have any confidence. And right now I don't have confidence. Every bone in my body is screaming at me to run. My every thought is filled with the thought that we're not going to walk away from this."

She paused and continued. "But on that first day, Chat Noir gave me hope. He had confidence in me, even at my worse. He made me want to fight. He showed me how good it felt to save people. I was lost without him, and he showed me how to follow my heart. Unfortunately, he, Adrien suffered the price for it."

"But if we're going to die here," she said firmly. "It will be in his honor. Because he wouldn't run away from this fight. He would fight until every bone in his body had shattered and every drop of blood had run out of his veins. And I refuse to give up, because then his love would go to waste. I don't deserve it," she paused. "But I'm sure as hell going to make sure he didn't waste it."

There was a few seconds of silence. All of the teens (and Emily Agreste) had been listening to her while frantically picking off the undead that crowded them. They were quickly becoming overwhelmed. Finally, Emily spoke as she sliced off several undead limbs.

"I couldn't have said anything more inspiring, and there is no greater hero than you, Marinette. I ran from my problems, and they escalated. I am at fault for what has happened here. And I'm not going to run away and watch the world burn, living out my last days knowing that I did this. I'll fight until the end."

"Count me in," Alya said firmly. "I dreamed of making the world a better place. I admired super heroes so much because they were able to do so. I can live my dream now. I might die, but I can die happily knowing I made a difference."

"All my life, I lived without being able to do anything," Nino added. "I watched the world go by. I didn't stop Chloe from hurting people, I couldn't help my best friend. I wasn't doing anything. My life was kind of pointless. I was one person among a billion doing nothing to help this world. I'm glad I can make my last few hours count."

Chloe cleared her throat. "I'm worse than Nino. I didn't just sit around, I made people suffer. I created akumas that probably gave Hawkmoth more power, and a fighting chance. I was a complete bitch, and all of this is partly my fault. It's my duty to go down making a difference." Her eye narrowed dangerously. "And that's what I'm gonna do."

"You all gave me courage," Nathan added, swiping his flute at an undead person and twisting his way out of the hands of several more. "I was hiding in the shadows, like a rat afraid of the light. But I can stand bravely now. I can face my fears, and I can face other's fears. I'm going to make sure that every person in the world has less to fear, and I will keep them safe."

"Then we're decided," Marinette said, punching another head off of an undead soldier. "We will probably die here, but we'll die fighting." She took a deep breath. Everything was instinct at this point. She heard Tikki's words ringing through her head, "YOU are Ladybug, with or without the mask!" It didn't matter that she wasn't covered in magical spotted spandex. It didn't matter that she didn't have a mask to hide her insecurities, and it didn't matter that she didn't have a yoyo to escape the danger with.

"Queen Bee, Volpino, and Jade, hold off as many undead as you can and keep Adrien safe. If you get them close to Gabri-the monster, they'll disintegrate, but if you get too close, then so will you. Papillon, I need you to declare me a champion. Peacock, you and I are going for the root of the problem. If we take his miraculous-"

"Then it will essentially be like unplugging his power," Emily continued. "He'll destransform-"

"And he'll be defeated," Marinette finished. "But how do we get that close without burning up?"

Suddenly, a butterfly flew into her chest and lodged itself there. Instead of a dark, unsettling feeling. She felt powerful and light. " _Marinette, I am Papillon. I'd like to give you the power to defeat this monster... Err, try to defeat it, anyway. Do you accept my offer?_ "

"I accept," Marinette answered immediately. "Can you give me my Ladybug suit and powers?"

" _I can give you a suit and a magical yoyo. It won't be able to purify anything, and there's no Lucky Charm. But I can make the yoyo's attack much more damaging,_ " Papillon offered. Marinette nodded and she felt white light bubble over her body.

When she opened her eyes, she was back in her familiar Ladybug suit. She pulled out her yoyo and flipped it around experimentally. "Perfect!" she said. She could hear Papillon's voice in her head.

" _I made your suit fireproof too. I don't think he can burn you unless you get devoured by him and end up in a festering pit of evil..._ " Both girls shuddered.

"Then let's finish this," Ladybug growled. She nodded at Peacock and the two took off, leaping over the heads of the undead that were crowding her friends. Then Ladybug slashed at the monster's arm with her yoyo. He bellowed with rage and swatted at her. She dodged, only to be flung backwards by negative energy, slamming her back against the park fence. She woozily flipped to her feet and went in to attack again.

Peacock took a different approach. She could not get close, so she opted for flinging her metal fans at his back like boomerangs. They spun around, slicing through the darkness and leaving ragged red cuts that seemed to pour lava. The cuts re-constructed themselves almost immediately.

"It's growing stronger!" Peacock shrieked at Ladybug as she zipped around, dodging attacks. At one point a ribbon on her ankle caught on fire and she sliced it off, leaving it burning on the ground. It caught on of the bushes on fire, and the flames began to grow.

Ladybug lassoed the demon's arm and tried to drag him backwards, but he tossed her carelessly over his head. "Cataclysm!" it bellowed as it pressed the magic to her yoyo string. It snapped immediately. Ladybug gasped in horror.

"It's not supposed to break! It can't break!" The monster flung her into a rooftop, leaving a pile of bricks and dust. She clambered to her feet in time to see Peacock being thrown against Volpino, knocking the boy over.

" _I think I can fix it!_ " Papillon shrieked in Ladybug's head. Ladybug glanced over to see her best friend trying to keep Ladybug's power flowing while jumping around, avoiding the flames that nipped at her feet and he undead that tried to grab, punch, and stab her. She ended up back to back with Jade, who was having a hell of a time defending himself and Adrien.

A new yoyo appeared on Ladybug's hip and she jumped up, charging at the demon as he made his way towards Peacock. He was forced to spin around and counter attack as she leapt at him with a vengeance, spinning, flipping, and cartwheeling away from his attacks. You might think it would be a disadvantage for Ladybug to be about 50 times smaller than him, but it allowed her more room to evade him.

Meanwhile, Volpino began to create illusions of himself, Jade, Papillon, Queen Bee, Ladybug, and Peacock. He sent them scattering everywhere, confusing the hell out of the undead minions. Of course, each time an illusion was touched it dissolved, but Volpino kept firmly playing his flute. Queen Bee circled around him, taking out undead like crazy. She would stun some, destroy them, and move onto the next few. The problem was that they kept rebuilding.

One of them sliced a broken bottle it had found across her leg, and it sent pain throughout her nervous system. Gritting her teeth, she continued to dance around Volpino. Her knuckles were badly bruised and her entire body was so bruised and beaten that it was begging her to stop, but she persevered on.

Volpino already had blood running down his face and a few deep scratches on his side from the tree branch. His lungs wanted air, but he refused to stop playing his flute. The plan was working. The illusion were drawing large numbers of undead towards the monster, where they would disintegrate. Plus, it distracted quite a few others, leaving his team mates more free to move around.

Finally, Ladybug could evade the monster no more. The light had completely diminished from inside of it. It roared with laughter, a sound that nearly ruptured all of their eardrums. He grew a few feet, and the air around him began to gather, swirling around to create winds almost as strong as an F5 tornado.

He grabbed Ladybug's leg, and his burning hand melted through her suit just a slight bit. He reared back and flung her into the ground. She screamed in agony as her body connected with the ground in such force that she left a crater at least twenty feet deep. She could hear several of her ribs cracking and she already knew she had the worst concussion.

The world was spinning and she hadn't even opened her eyes. She fought the urge to throw up, but the nausea overwhelmed her. She emptied her guts, choking on the stinging in her throat. She coughed, sucking in dusty air that only made her cough more. She was lying in a pit, unable to move as the monster moved closer and closer.

Suddenly, she had a strange memory. A flashback of sorts. She didn't know how her broken mind had dragged it to her attention, but it played back in front of her eyes, a little warped and inaccurate. It was a conversation she had had with Tikki several months ago.

_"So, I guess you can wield two miraculous, right? Otherwise why would Hawkmoth want our miraculous if his plan wouldn't even work?"_

_"Well, I suppose you could," Tikki looked very apprehensive. "But the strain on a human's physical body would be... far too great. You would die almost instantly. Unless, something...else leant you power."_

_"Something else?"_

_"There is evil in this world that can do things incomprehensible to the human mind," Tikki said quietly. She looked like she was psuhing down old memories of horrible mistakes._

_"So... You have to use evil to wield two miraculous?"_

_"Yes, you have to exchange a part of your soul. Of course, Hawkmoth already did that if he was able to misuse his kwami. He must know the limitations of wielding double miraculous though. It may not kill him, but it will weaken him to the point of death."_

_Marinette was curious. "What happens if you try to wield three miraculous?"_

_"The world can never come to that," Tikki whispered. "It would be far too late to save."_

Ladybug gathered her strength and lifted her head to see Peacock running over, dodging fires that threatened to cling to her tail. "Peacock!" Ladybug yelled weakly. The woman's head snapped up. "Give him your miraculous!"

Peacock's jaw dropped. "WHAT? No way! It would destroy him!"

"Please, Emily. Your husband is already gone! He has been consumed by evil! It's too late for him. But you can stop him from taking away other people's family members. You can stop him from destroying the world. You can protect your son! Please, don't make the world suffer what you suffered!"

A single tear slipped down Peacock's cheek. Suddenly, she nodded resolutely. "Of course, Ladybug." She glanced sorrowfully at the monster before she ripped the pin off of her chest. Pavvo came tumbling out. "HEY GABRIEL!"

"GABRIEL IS GONE!" The monster roared. "AND SO YOU SHALL GO AS WELL!" He turned from Ladybug and stomped over to her, disintegrating his own army as he ran. The super heroes scattered. Emily stood her ground.

"I give up. I want to help you create a new world. I offer you my miraculous in return!"

The devil eyes lit up with a red hot joy and passion. "Yes," it chuckled. "You are a wise one." He reached down, momentarily taking away his body heat as he plucked the pin from her hand and fastened it on his own chest proudly.

Emily had only a second to leap out of the way before there was an explosion and everything flashed white. Then she was falling, falling, falling into a darkness that never ended.


	38. Aftermath

**Chapter 37: Aftermath**

Ladybug buried her head in her hands as she threw herself back onto the ground. The explosion nearly burst her eardrums and the white flash left her unable to see anything. Ash flew everywhere, and she coughed, desperately trying to draw air into her lungs.

She didn't know how long she stayed there. It seemed like hours, but it was probably only a few minutes. Her ears were ringing and her vision was blurry. She didn't even want to think about trying to stand. Her bones felt like cooked spaghetti.

" _Marinette_?" she heard Alya's voice whisper in her head, followed by a groan.

"Alya?" Ladybug groaned. Her throat felt raw from breathing in all of the ash and smoke that still wafted through the air. "Is everyone okay?"

" _I think so. Let me see,_ " the girl replied.

There were several minutes of silence, and then Ladybug heard soft footsteps heading in her direction. Papillon leaned over and slid an arm underneath her best friend's shoulder, helping her stand. Ladybug wobbled a bit, but Papillon supported her weight. She gasped as she surveyed the park.

There was a huge crater where Gabriel had been standing, at least forty feet deep. At the bottom of it, glinting in the sunlight that had just peeped out from behind the clouds, were the Ladybug and Cat miraculous. The normally silver ring was black, and it was smoking. An unconscious Plagg and a feeble Tikki were lying next to their miraculous.

"Tikki!" Ladybug cried. Alya released her of her butterfly and she became Marinette again. Jade walked up to them, Adrien still curled up in his arms.

"I managed to get far enough away from the blast that he wasn't affected," Jade said, glancing down at his friend. "His pulse is faint, though."

They heard a groan from behind them. Queen Bee opened her eyes and blinked several times. Volpino had thrown himself on top of her right before the explosion, curling his body around hers so that he took most of the blast. He was still lying unconscious on top of her. She gently pulled him off of her and sat up. "What happened?" she asked. "Is he….dead?"

The teens looked around. Emily was lying unconscious on the ground a few feet away. There was no sign of Gabriel anywhere. Just the smoking miraculous in the bottom of the pit. The Peacock miraculous was lying a few feet away. "Something like that," Marinette said weakly.

"He's not alive, if that's what you mean," Jade said, looking at the crater. Volpino stirred.

"What? What happened…." he groaned. "Why does my head hurt so badly?"

"You took the shockwave blast for me," Queen Bee said. Volpino was quiet for a few seconds.

"Oh," he finally said.

"Thank you," Queen Bee replied gratefully, remembering her manners. She pressed a soft kiss on his cheek before standing up and brushing herself off, moving away quickly in embarrassment. Volpino just sat on the ground with a hand on his cheek.

The superheroes made their way to the bottom of the pit. Tikki looked up. "Get… Wayzz… must…..transfuse….energy…."

"What's wrong, Tikki?" Marinette asked, scooping her kwami up. Jade set Adrien down and detransformed. The rest of the teenagers followed suit. Wayzz flew over to Tikki, placing a tiny little hand on her forehead.

"Tikki was nearly devoured by dark energy," he informed the group. "When the added positive energy of the Peacock was added, it was too much for Gabriel to handle. It… incinerated him, in a way. It was enough to keep Tikki alive, but just barely. The dark energy is trapped inside of Plagg's miraculous. He's fighting it, but it will eventually devour him too. We need to lend Tikki enough positive energy to transform you and purify his miraculous."

"Will it fix the miraculous completely? Could Adrien ever use it again?" Nino asked.

"Yes. With proper care and regular kwami healing sessions, Plagg and Tikki should fully recover in a matter of days. In a week tops, they will be able to transform and perform as they usually do," Wayzz answered.

Marinette set her kwami gently down on the ground and then backed away a few steps. She sat next to Adrien and cradled his head in her lap, monitoring his vital signs. Unfortunately, this had to be dealt with first.

Volpino tossed the peacock miraculous down to Nino and then jumped down after it, detransforming. Wayzz, Buzza, Kittsu, Nooroo, and Pavvo gathered around her. Wayzz began to chant, and different colored wisps floated around the kwamis. Dancing through the still ashy air. They circled around, combining into a golden color before resting above Tikki, who seemed to inhale it. Her eyes opened and little wider and she flew up a bit.

"Okay, I think I can do this. We need to hurry!" She glanced worriedly at Plagg.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug pulled out her yoyo. "What do I do?"

"Place the ring inside. Say the magic words. Poof," Buzza explained. Kittsu rolled his eyes. Ladybug stroked her yoyo with two fingers. It opened and she hesitantly picked up the black, smoking ring and dropped it inside.

"I free you from evil!" she called. Her yoyo flashed pink light and opened again, revealing a shiny silver ring. Plagg groaned and blinked his little green eyes open.

"Now throw the ring up and say 'Miraculous Ladybug'!" Wayzz instructed.

"But… it isn't a Lucky Charm. Will it work?" Ladybug felt her throat choke up as her eyes filled with tears. "Will it… can it… fix all of this?"

"You got rid of the evil. The evil infused from Gabriel's soul to the ring was what allowed him to create his undead army. Any damage that the army caused with be undone when you say the magic words, using the ring as an object to flow to. Your creation will balance his destruction and fix everything."

"Really?" Ladybug whispered. Alya sighed in relief as Nino visibly relaxed and leaned against her. Chloe smiled slightly and Nathan just stood there, obviously relieved. "Well in that case, MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" She tossed the ring into the air, and bright light flashed across all of Paris.

Suddenly, the teens were standing on flat, grassy ground, surrounded by trees. The sun was high in the sky. The building around them were perfectly restored. They didn't dare to breath or utter a word. It all seemed far too impossible to be real. The damage that had devastated all of them couldn't just be undone that simply, right? It seemed to be some surreal dream.

Chloe crossed the grass and rubbed her hand against a tree. "It's real…" she whispered. She ran her hand along the grass. "All of this is real!"

Ladybug laughed in relief. She felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around to face Emily. "Oh, it's just you." Emily kneeled down next to her son, stroking the hair out if his face.

"The good news is that the extra damage done to him during the whole undead thing has been healed!" she said softly. "He's still weak and unconscious though. But he'll be able to heal."

"We owe the public an explanation," Alya said, pulling out her phone. "Emily, will you film it?" Emily took the phone from her hands. The teens transformed back into their superhero personas and stood behind Ladybug, who took a deep breath before facing the camera. Emily clicked record.

"Paris!" Ladybug started, her voice ringing loudly. She sounded nothing like a scared teenager, and more like the brave and heroic young lady that Paris looked up to. "I apologize for the inconvenience of the last twenty four hours! Your houses and streets should now be restored, and any injuries should be healed."

"I know you want an explanation. The man that Chat Noir and I have been fighting for two years, Hawkmoth, finally decided to take matters into his own hands. He kidnapped Adrien Agreste and used him to lure in Chat Noir. Adrien is fine and will be returned to his family. Chat Noir was badly injured, which is why he is not standing beside me right now. He will be fine, don't worry. But I request that the media remove all negative coverage of him being a 'kidnapper'."

"Furthermore, Hawkmoth has been defeated. You no longer have to fear akumatization or akuma attacks. Also, several more superheros joined us for the final battle. Papillon, Jade Turtle, Queen Bee, and Volpino. They are to be treated with the same respect as I am treated. The five of us will continue to fight regular crime and hopefully make the streets of Paris much safer. Chat Noir will join us when he recovers."

"We will leave you all to get back to your homes and find your loved ones. We wish we could help, but we still need to take care of a few things after this battle to make sure everyone is safe and nothing like this will ever happen in the future. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you!"

Emily hit the stop button and gave Ladybug a thumbs up. She sighed. "I hope Paris isn't too mad at us…"

"Paris can't be mad at you, Ladybug! You saved the day!" Queen Bee said, smiling. "All of this wasn't your fault, and you saved them and fixed everything! If they're mad, then I'm a saint." Alya chuckled wryly at the expression.

"I need to find my family. My mom is freaking out," Volpino said, looking at the 573 missed calls and 309 texts from his mother. "I need to go."

"The great thing is that we don't need excuses, since all of our parents know we were at Marinette's house. They'll assume we fled from the city. Just tell them that we got out safely and hung out in one of the barricaded shelters the police set up," Papillon said.

"And I can lie to my father easily," Queen Bee said. They all looked at her. 'What? You can't say you haven't lied every single day since you became Ladybug, Marinette!"

"True. You guys can't tell anyone that you have miraculous, okay? It'll be hard. Maybe once I determine it's completely safe…" Ladybug said. The other teens nodded. Volpino said goodbye and shot Chloe a shy smile before taking off across the rooftops on his hover board, answering his mom's frantic texts while flying.

"TEXTING WHILE FLYING, IT CAN WAIT!" Jade shouted after him. He waved to the others. "I need to go find my fam too. They'll be freaking out. I think they blew up my phone." He dashed off across the rooftops, using his super speed to disappear in seconds.

"Well, my mom knows I'm with you, and that you're Ladybug. And your parents know you're Ladybug. We might as well all meet up in the bakery as soon as they can get back to Paris," Alya suggested. "I need to post this video on the Ladyblog ASAP."

Ladybug nodded and scooped up Adrien. Emily followed her across the park and into the bakery door. Alya followed the, typing frantically on her phone. Ladybug detransformed into Marinette and set Adrien on the couch. Plagg plopped down on his wielder's chest. "Cheese!" he requested.

Marinette went into the kitchen, gave Tikki some cookies and Nooroo some lettuce, and then brought some cheese back from Plagg. Emily had lifted Adrien's shirt up and was already working on re-sterilizing, treating, and bandaging his wounds with the use of the first aid kit Alya had left lying around.

"Our parents are okay," she told Marinette and Emily. "They're migrating back into Paris with the rest of the citizens. The road is clogged up with cars and buses and stuff. They said they'll be back in around an hour or two. I posted the video to the Ladyblog and emailed all of the local news channels."

"Thank you," Marinette said softly. Emily pinned back Adrien's bandage and then pulled his shirt back down, moving to re-do the sling on his sprained wrist. She worked methodically and lovingly. Marinette collapsed onto the sofa next to Adrien and listened to Plagg munch on his cheese noisily.

She didn't mean to fall asleep. She didn't want to fall asleep, either. But the couch was so soft and warm, and Adrien was safe beside her. The sun was shining, and the familiar smell of home filled her nostrils. She was scared that if she fell asleep, she would wake up and find that all of this was a dream. But she couldn't help it. She slipped off into slumber.

############################################################################################################################################################

Queen Bee dropped down onto the roof of the hotel. She climbed into her bedroom. She could already see that her father was returning. He ran into the hotel, screaming her name while surrounded by a police escort. She hurriedly released her transformation, ready to run down and assure her father that she was alive…. When she heard a sharp gasp.

She whirled around and froze as she saw Sabrina standing in the doorway, her hands over her mouth. "Sabrina…."

The red head's mouth snapped shut and her hands found her way to her hips. "YOU'RE QUEEN BEE?" she demanded. Chloe nodded.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but you can't tell anyone… You can't! Are you okay?"

"Why do YOU get to be a superhero?" Sabrina snapped. Chloe was stunned at her best friend's reaction. "All my life I've been living in YOUR shadow, hoping to receive one ounce of affection! But NO! You hurt people, you akumatized people, you made people miserable! And I stood by you because you were my only friend!"

"So why is it?" Sabrina sniffed. "That when it came to picking superheros, you got to be one! WHY YOU? You don't deserve it! You're a horrible, cruel… WITCH!"

"I'm sorry, Sabrina!" Chloe pleaded. "For everything I've ever done! I know I hurt you, and I'm really sorry! I can't offer more than apologies, but I can try to be your friend! I'm trying to change. I need your help, I can't do it alone! I need you to show me how to be a good person, like you!"

"A good person," Sabrina muttered. "A good person like me deserves that miraculous, not YOU! I should tell everyone your identity! They need to know the girl 'helping them' is actually a little lying, deceiving, cruel, snobby-"

"Sabri-"

"CHLOE!" Mayor Bourgeois burst into the room and flung his arms around his daughter. "OH CHLOE! MY DAUGHTER! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Papa," she promised. "I managed to get away and hide early on. I made sure to come right back! Are you okay?" She looked over his shoulder at Sabrina with pleading eyes, but the girl only stomped out of her room. Chloe wanted to go after her, but her father was still hugging her with a death grip.

"Thank goodness you're okay! I almost lost you!" The mayor wiped the tears out of his eyes. "Now, I must go attend to Paris! It is in disarray! Imagine the paperwork…" he groaned before dashing out of the room. "If you need anything, just call me!"

"Of course, Papa!" she called after him. When he left, she slumped down on her bed. "Do you think Sabrina is going to tell everyone my secret identity?"

Buzza flew out of her closet. "I don't know. I don't know her. Do you have any honey?"

"Yeah, sure." Chloe went down to the kitchen by herself (for the first time ever) and brought some honey back to her room for Buzza. Then she took a shower and cleaned herself up. She picked up her phone and texted Marinette.

 **Chloe** : _Is Adrien OK?_

 **Marinette** : _this is alya. Adriens fine, mari is asleep_

 **Chloe** : _That grammar though_.

 **Marinette** : _shut up_

"Should I tell her about Sabrina?" Chloe asked. Buzza looked up, her mouth all sticky from honey.

"No, don't stress her out. It'll be fine," she said calmly. "I think."

"Gee, thanks a lot," Chloe replied sarcastically. "I guess there's nothing else to do today. Might as well finish that stupid homework assignment. I guess I'll be doing my school by myself now. And I doubt they'll stop school for very long after this disaster."

"I guess you will be doing your work by yourself," Buzza replied. "You'll be fine. You had to have learned something. And it is kinda your fault that you slacked off for five years."

"Don't remind me," Chloe groaned, picking up her papers. Before she went to work, she pulled out her phone again.

 **Chloe** : _You all good, Nath?_

 **Nathaneal** : _Yeah, I'm fine. My mom bought the excuse. It's very plausible. Doubt she'll let me out of her sight now._

 **Chloe** : _I'm so bored._

 **Nathaneal** : _Same_

 **Chloe** : _Would you draw me a picture? If you have time, of course…_

 **Nathaneal** : _Sure. A welcome distraction. Gonna start now. Bye_

 **Chloe** : _Bye_

Chloe sighed and tossed her phone onto the chair next to her, picking up a pencil. She sighed as she stared at the homework. "The answer to the first question is B," Buzza said, glancing over. Chloe shot her a confused look before shaking her head and circling the answer anyway.

"This is gonna be a long day. I hope Adrien is okay. No telling how he'll react to the news that his mother is alive. I hope he'll react well and not angrily or get all depressed." She paused and looked out the window. "But something tells me things won't be so simple…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't text while driving, people.


	39. Don't Leave Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, I wrote this to to be as realistic as I could. I honestly don't believe in split-second love, forgiveness, and ease in relationships, particularly something like the relationship between Emily and Adrien. I hope you enjoy this!

**Chapter 38: Don't Leave Me**

Marinette was standing in the bakery. Except it wasn't quite the bakery. Little things were off about it. A misplaced pot or pan, a cookie or pastry with the wrong label. It all seemed so real, yet something seemed incredibly off. She looked down. She was wearing her regular clothes, but something about that felt off as well. She brought a hand up to her face and felt spandex. She was wearing a mask. Her mask.

"Ladybug," a soft voice said. She spun around, and there stood Adrien. He was dressed in his normal clothing as well, but he had a black mask over his eyes. Nevertheless, she somehow knew it was him. So she naturally assumed that he could see through her mask too.

"Adrien! Are you okay? How did you heal that quickly?"

"What?" He looked shocked. "H-how do you know?" He paled and took a step back. "How did you figure out my identity?"

"Chaton, it's me. We've known each other's identities for days, remember? It's Marinette!"

"Marinette?" Adrien looked confused for a minute, rolling the name around on his tongue. Suddenly, he laughed. "And to think all this time, my lady was really only Marinette. The stuttering, clumsy baker's daughter. What a shame. I was in love with you, you know. Man, things you find out about people..."

"What? What do you mean?" she squeaked.

"Don't you see? I'm Adrien Agreste! I could never love someone like... you! I admired Ladybug, I looked up to her! What a disappointment that she turned out to be you, Marinette."

"But Ladybug and I are the same person! We are exactly the same!"

He laughed. "You're nothing like Ladybug. You could never be a hero."

Suddenly, Emily stepped up behind Adrien. "Are you ready to go? You can come live with me. There's no point in staying around here. I mean, Ladybug was the only reason you had any reason to do anything at all. But you have me now, and she clearly mislead you. Come live with me! Leave her!"

Adrien smirked. "Gladly!" Mother and son began to walk away. The bakery rippled and turned into mist. They kept walking further and further, until Marinette could barely see them.

"WAIT!" she called desperately. "ADRIEN! CHAT! I LOVE YOU!"

He turned around at the last second and winked at her. "I know."

And then he was gone.

############################################################################################################################################################

"Marinette, wake up!" For a second, everything was hazy. Then Marnette finally registered Alya's annoyed voice in the background and forced herself out of the realm of dreams and back into reality.

"Huh? Wha? Who?" she muttered as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were met by brilliant green. "Adrien? You're awake!" She went to hug the boy, who returned her embrace wholeheartedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I feel really tired and everything hurts, but I'm alive," he replied. He buried his head in her neck and snuggled against her. His chest rumbled. "I just want to sleep. What happened? Did you defeat my fa-Gabriel?"

She looked into his eyes. They were so filled with pain and longing that she felt her heart ache for him. She glanced over at Alya and mouthed 'Does he know yet?'. Alya shook her head. Marinette glanced back at Adrien, who raised his eyebrows suspiciously. "Well, about that..."

"Adrien?"

Adrien's head jerked up at the familiar voice. It couldn't be... It shouldn't be... it wouldn't be! But it was... His mother was leaning in the door frame, smiling kindly and holding a cup of tea. His jaw dropped and his eyes teared up. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. His brain just entirely seized up and refused to operate properly.

Emily crossed the room and set the cup of tea in front of him as she wrapped him in a huge hug, stroking his hair softly. "Oh, Adrien."

"Mama?" he asked softly, slowly looping his arms around her and hugging her back.

"Yes Adrien. I'm here now. I'm so, so sorry I left." She was crying too now, and they clung to each other, scared to let go. Adrien hardly dared to breath. This must be another dream. Just a cruel, teasing nightmare. He would wake up and be back in the darkness again. It couldn't be real...

Alya and Marinette quietly left the room. Their kwamis (and Plagg) following them out.

"Oh my baby," Emily cried, rocking him back and forth. "I missed you so much!"

Adrien decided that maybe, just maybe, this could all be real. "Mama? I-is it r-really you? B-but, you d-died..."

"I know. I had to fake my own death. I was being threatened by... bad people. They threatened to hurt you. I couldn't let them do that! So I had to fake my own death and leave you. I'm so, so, so sorry!"

Adrien melted into her arms, the tears slipping from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. "I missed you so much," he cried softly. "You said you'd never leave me! You said I'd never be alone!"

"I know, sweetheart. I'll never forgive myself for leaving. I should've stayed... I should have risked it..." Emily sniffed and squeezed him again. "But now I'm here. And I'm never going to leave you!"

"D-dad?"

"Your father is...gone," Emily admitted, feeling a pang of hurt and loneliness jolt through her heart. "There was nothing I could do to bring him back."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for awhile, just holding each other and getting used to the idea that they were together again. Adrien's mind was racing. His mother was alive! His mother, who had pined for every day of his life, was alive and well and here with him! He should be elated... Instead, he felt confused. He just felt so confused, and over-emotional, and exhausted. Words couldn't come to him. He could only hug her and cry. Finally, he managed to stutter out a few words.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Adrien."

"You promise you'll stay with me forever?" he asked uncertainly, pulling back a bit.

"I promise I'll never vanish on you again," Emily said quietly. "You're my son, and I love you more than anything else in the world. I would never leave you!"

"You said that once before..." Adrien said softly. Emily just hugged him again.

"I'm so excited to be a part of your life again, Adrien. I can't wait to see you every day, and to hear how school went. I can't wait to watch your fencing tournaments and your piano recitals. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you!" she reassured him. "I never really got a chance to watch you grow, and that makes me sad. You turned into an amazing, talented, special boy. And I want to get to know you again."

"I want to be with you again too!" Adrien replied. "I used to dream that one day you would show up on the doorstep and say it was all a mistake... After years, well, I kinda gave up on that dream. This is all so surreal."

"I know. I never imagined anything liked this happening. But I'm so glad it did. I couldn't stand the regret, the guilt! Every day passing buildboards with your fake smiles and regretting ever having left you in the first place..." Emily said, ruffling his hair. He smiled a bit, wiping away the tears.

"So I can come home with you? Live with you!" he asked, still not really trsuting of the fact that his was reality and she had come back to stay. He waited eagerly, ready for her to smile and say 'Of course! It'll be just the two of us, a happy family! I love you so much!'. But instead, her face fell. "Mama?"

"Oh Adrien, I wish you could come live with me..." she started hesitantly. "But I live hours away from your school and your friends. I have friends, and I have a job. I would leave it all behind without a second thought and move over here with you, but... it's not that simple. I work with the police department. I still have many enemies, and I can't just move away, I have to apply for a transfer..."

"But... I could come with you, right?" he asked. He thought about it a little before feeling horribly guilty. He couldn't just leave all of his friends behind! He could never, ever leave Marinette... Yet here he was, torn between his mother and the girl and life he loved. He had cried himself to sleep almost every night, praying for his mother to come back to him. And now it finally happened. He couldn't just throw this away...

"Another thing," she continued. "I don't have a lot of money. I could never support both of us... I couldn't be a proper mother to you. I know that your father had a lot of money, but everyone thinks I'm dead, so I can't inherit it. If I showed up claiming to be alive, they would think I was an imposter hoping to get rich quick. And my old enemies would find me..."

"But I get the money, then! I'm the heir to the Agreste company!"

"You only get it when you turn eighteen, sweetheart. I just can't let you give up on your dreams of college and a good future. I'll always be here for you. I'll move closer to you as soon as I can get a transfer. It may take a couple of months, but it will be worth it!"

"But... but where will I live until then?" Adrien's lower lip trembled. His mother was finally here and now she was saying she had to leave him! He couldn't be left alone again! He clung to her like she would disappear, wincing in pain as he used his injured arm.

"With the Dupain-Chengs. I was just talking to them on the phone. They'll be here any minute. They said they'd be happy to have you for as long as we need," she said. Adrien relaxed slightly. The thought of being with Marinette made him feel safe.

"You promise you won't leave me?" he whispered. "You promise you won't just drive away and never come back?"

"I promise," his mother said fondly, brushing his bangs out of the way and staring into his eyes. "I promise that I'll never leave you again." Adrien nodded, still a little unsure. Suddenly, they heard the door open and shut.

"Mama! Papa!"

"Marinette!"

"Mom!"

"Alya!"

There was a lot of incromprehensible chatter in the kitchen, and probably a lot of hugs and explanations. Pagg flew into the kitchen. He nodded respectfully at Emily before throwing himself at Adrien's chest and burying himself in the boy's shirt.

"Adrien!" he squeaked.

"Hey Plagg," Adrien chuckled softly. "You okay buddy?"

"I'm okay! Don't you ever do something that stupid ever again!" Plagg scolded. "I can't lose another kitten! I can't lose you!" He realized what he had just said and stuttered to fix his mistake. "I mean... Because where would I get my cheese then?"

"I love you too, Plagg," Adrien said softly. The kwami beamed happily before flopping down on the couch and rolling around on Marinette's soft blanket. Adrien rolled his eyes while his mother laughed. Marinette and her parents entered the living room, followed by Alya and Alya's mother.

"You're welcome to stay with us as long as you want, my boy," Tom boomed pulling Adrien into a suprisingly gentle hug. Sabine placed a hand on Emily's shoulder and the two women embraced. Alya's mother was busy lecturing Alya about the danger of being a super hero these days and badgering Nooroo for his favorite dish that included lettuce.

"Thank you, sir," Adrien said softly, tears welling up in his eyes. They were just so accepting!

"Please, call us Tom and Sabine!" the man said, patting Adrien's shoulder and moving over to hug Emily. Marinette sat softly down next to Adrien.

"Hey," she started, smilng a bit. "Sorry about them." She jabbed a thum in the direction of her parents. "They can be a little overwhelming."

"I think they're wonderful!" Adrien blurted out, earning another small smile from Marinette.

"I hope you don't mind staying with us..."

"Why would I mind?" Adrien reached over and brushed a strand of Marinette's hair out of her face, startling her. "I'm scared still, m'lady. I don't know what to do anymore. My mom is back, but she can't live with me. My father is dead. Hawmoth has been defeated. I'm hurt. I'm scared. You're the only person I know I can count on. I love you so much, and I've wanted to tell you for so long."

"Adrien-"

"No, I need to say it. I've been trying for two years. If something happens, I can't live with not having told you. You make me happy, Marinette. You make me so happy to be alive and to be me. You're the one person who accepted me as who I was, not who I was painted out to be. I loved you so much I nealy killed myself not knowing if you loved me back. But now I know. And now I can tell you. I love you."

"Nothing is going to happen, Adrien," Marinette said, scooting over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You and your mom are going to sort all of this out. It came as a huge shock for both of you. Neither of you quite know what to do. Give it some time. Plus, now your father's death and all of the company business has to be taken care of. I'll always be here for you. I love you too. And I would happily kiss you to prove it, but my mother is sending me 'no PDA' looks."

Adrien laughed a bit, leaning on her. "I can't wait until we're not in public, then."

There, leaning against his best friend, his partner, and the love of his life, so close that he could count her freckles, lost in her eyes, was possibly the best moment of his life. His mother was standing two feet away from him. She was alive. She loved him, and she was going to stay with him. Hawkmoth was defeated. It came at a price, one that still made him horribly sad, but he was defeated nonetheless. He had new friends, new freedom, and newfound happiness.

Maybe everything could be okay again after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters! We'll get to Sabrina and the rest of Paris next chapter


	40. Celebrations

**Chapter 40: Celebrations**

The next day, the mayor announced as a national holiday in honor of Paris' heroes, even the newer ones. It was a day of commemoration, and relief at the fact that they would no longer have to fear an akuma attack every other day. Schools and business' closed for the day, and everybody spent time with their friends and loved ones. The mayor also invited (through the Ladyblog, no less, Alya was screaming in excitement) the heroes to make an appearance at the end of the day and receive a medal of honor.

Adrien and Marinette spent most of the free day lying around on the couch, flipping through channels. Eventually, they decided to play monopoly (a horrible choice, honestly, Adrien had not learned nothing from being a business man's son). After Marinette went bankrupt, they scoped out snacks in the bakery and then played video games.

Adrien limited mobility prevented them from doing much. He stayed on the couch for about 98% of the day. Marinette had absolutely no problem with it, and she in fact insisted on most of it. If he pulled the stitched out now, it could cause a lot of problems. Finally, the time came for them to transform.

"Hey Adrien, it's nearly time to go. We should leave early so we can go very slowly. I still can't believe I'm letting you do this," Marinette called as she walked into her bedroom with a glass of chocolate milk. Adrien looked over from where he was lying on the chaise.

"I don't really want to go anymore, Mari," he said softly, hugging a pillow to his chest. Marinette looked a little confused.

"Does it hurt?" she asked. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah, it does. I mean, I guess I could go, I just… I don't really want to. I didn't do anything to help you guys defeat…. Hawkmoth. And tomorrow I have to go home so we can pull the whole 'my father had a heart attack or something' plan. I just…. I have a lot on my mind. Plus, I don't really deserve the recognition. The rest of you do." He smiled weakly at her and her face fell.

"I… I understand, Adrien. I honestly can't imagine what you're going through right now. I won't push you, but I want you to know that you deserve this just as much as the rest of us," she told him. He smiled before he let his face fall back into a blank expression.

"Thanks, Princess. You go on without me. I'll just stay here and take a nap." He rolled over a bit to hide the tears in his eyes and covered his head with a blanket. Marinette stood there for a few minutes. Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thought.

 **Nino** : _dude, ceremony is staring_

 **Nino** : _starting_ *

 **Nino** : _where are u?_

 **Nino** : _get over here asap_

 **Marinette** : _I'm coming, Adrien is staying here. He doesn't feel like going._

 **Nino** : _what?_

 **Nino** : _what's wrong?_

 **Nino** : _if adrien doesn't want to come something is very wrong_

Marinette looked back over to the supposedly asleep Adrien. "Adrien?" she asked. He didn't respond. Plagg flew over his head and glanced at her bitterly. "Plagg, do you know what's wrong with Adrien? Please!"

Plagg grunted. "You're lucky he loves you so much I'm villain to answer. The kid's been taking all of this a lot harder than you think. He's an internal wreck. He thinks he's worthless."

"He's not worthless!" Marinette said, shocked. "Why would he think that?"

"He always had them mentality," Plagg explained. "He always thought he wasn't enough for his father: worthless. He thought that his mother left because he was worthless. He always felt like he was a troublesome sidekick who got into you way: worthless. But everything that just happened made it worse."

"He got kidnapped, and he felt like he could've prevented it if he wasn't so worthless. He didn't want you in danger, to the point where he was crying and begging to the night air that you wouldn't come. You were his hope though. And when you missed that meeting, it made him feel even more worthless."

Marinette was crying now.

"He blames himself for his father's death. He thinks his mother doesn't want to stay with him because he is worthless. He doesn't want to be in the spotlight. He's always hated the spotlight. Believe it or not, attention makes him feel worthless!"

"He's anything but worthless!" Marinette cried. "He's worth so much! He deserves a family and recognition and love… Oh god, he deserves everything. He's priceless."

"Tell him that," Plagg deadpanned. "You need to go." He flew back over to Adrien's side and cuddled into the boy's chest.

"Thanks for caring, m'lady," a very awake Adrien mumbled. "But I still don't want to go."

"You should come! You deserve this! I WANT you to be there!" she insisted. He needed to understand that all of Paris cared. He wasn't her sidekick, he was her partner. He deserved more recognition that she did. He was the brave one, he was the loyal one, and he was the selfless one! He was the one that never ever considered quitting!

"I'm not going, Marinette," Adrien said firmly, turning to look at her sharply.

"Please."

"No. You're going to be late."

"I'll miss you. You deserve to be there."

"Just go."

She looked at him helplessly one last time. Then she transformed and leapt out the window. Making her way across the streets, she could feel her anger at everyone who had ever mistreated Adrien flare up deep inside of her. Gritting her teeth, she had no choice but to ignore the voice telling her to go back and make him come. He had enough people trying to make him do things. He needed someone to cut him some slack.

Ladybug could hear the cheers and shouts of the crowd before she even got to the large stage set up in front of the Le Grande Paris Hotel. She halted on a rooftop where her fellow super heroes and heroines were waiting. Jade looked at her inquisitively. "Is Adrien okay?"

She shook her head. "He didn't want to come. I would never make him." They ignored the hot tears in her eyes.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Papillon asked, shooting her best friend a sympathetic look. The others nodded and prepared to make their way over there. Before they jumped, Queen Bee whispered something into Ladybug's ear.

"He's blaming himself for everything, isn't he? Just gave him time and lots of love. I don't know if he'll ever heal from his emotional wounds, but we can try." Ladybug pulled Queen Bee into an unexpected hug and then the Miraculous Team jumped down from the building and landed on the stage. The Parisians erupted with cheers and applause.

"Hello, Paris!" Ladybug greeted, speaking through the microphone that a beaming Andre Bourgeois handed her. I stand before you today with my new allies. Papillon, Jade Turtle, Volpino, and Queen Bee. Chat Noir…couldn't be here today. He's okay, but he needs some time to heal. However, he is not to be left out of the spotlight. This fight was just as much, if not more, his fight as well as ours. We have defeated Hawkmoth, and made the Parisian streets safe again!"

More applause, shouting, whistling, etc.

"This is our promise to you!" Ladybug continued. "Paris has too many criminals living in it still. Every day you hear news of robberies, raping, murder, and drug abuse in the streets of our beloved city! We promise to stand up to all of these minor crimes. Superheroes were not just created to take care of huge threats and gain glory, they are here to keep everyone safer, and that is exactly what we are going to do!"

Andre Bourgeois took the microphone from Ladybug. After a long (and somewhat boring speech) thanking the superheroes for their sacrifices and commending their bravery, he had the military award each of them with a medal of honor. He handed Chat Noir's to Ladybug. "Will you get this to him?"

"Of course," she promised.

"Or I could just accept it myself," a voice rang out. Ladybug whipped around, the mayor taking a slower, more elegant turn, and stared.

Chat Noir was limping slowly through the crowd, who backed up and gave him space to walk through towards the stage. Ladybug felt her eyes begin to tear up as a wide smile spread across her face. "Chat!"

On impulse, Ladybug leapt off of the stage and barreled towards him, nearly knocking him over in a hug. "You came," she whispered in his ear as the Parisians grinned and sighed at the sight.

"I couldn't let you stay up there alone. I was watching the TV, and you seemed kind of, off. I didn't realize me not being there would affect you so much, even if it was just for a speech and a Q&A," he whispered back.

"Silly kitty," she said, smiling. "You balance me out. I need you, and you need me." And to prove it, she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss while Paris erupted with cheers in the background.

"In that case, m'lday, shall we?" he gestured towards the stage and offered her a hand. She slipped her hand into his and they walked back to the rest of the team. Papillon was grinning like crazy (she would always be the biggest LadyNoir fan) and Jade was stoked that his buddy was okay. Volpino and Queen Bee were too busy giving making eye contact, blushing, and looking away to notice.

The team accepted their medals and took a bow before thanking the mayor and taking off over the rooftops, ready to regroup and work out patrol schedules. The rest of Paris stayed out for most of the afternoon, partying and generally having fun. The future could not look brighter.

############################################################################################################################################################

Emily Agreste walked along the bank of the widest river in Paris, tears streaming down her face. Her husband was gone. She had played a key part in destroying him. After all of these years, his death ended up being her fault anyway. She was scared now. She didn't want to stay around Adrien. What if he ended up dead too? He had nearly died yesterday, and his recovery would take a long time.

Thankfully, the Dupain-Cheng's had offered to take Adrien in for a few months. Emily wanted to be near her son, she really did. She just wasn't ready yet. And she had connections back at her old home. She and Adrien would live together, as much as she feared for him she couldn't bear to be separated again.

She wanted him here, though. It hurt him, but she did. This was where his school and his friends were. This was where Marinette was. He'd be happier here. She'd come to him. It would take a month or so, but she would do it. And she also secretly wanted him right next to the rest of the Miraculous Team in case something did happen.

That was another thing. She looked down at the Peacock miraculous in her hand, clenching her fist. The cool colors of the peacock seemed to shimmer, as she was looking through tears. This was the damned thing that had started everything. She put herself in danger, she put her family in danger, and she put her friends in danger. She was so sick and tired of having the miraculous weigh down her soul.

Emily looked across the water, half tempted to fling the pin into the icy depths, never to be seen again. But she couldn't do that. If not for the magical consequences, then for Pavvo's sake. She had been a good little friend. She sighed. What to do with it?

Master Fu was dead. She had found his remains. She had communicated it to the other miraculous wielders. They were shocked and sad, but none of them had known him very well at all, and most of them hadn't even met him. So now there was no miraculous keeper until Nino became of age and was trained (which she decided to take it upon herself to do). This was a risky and dangerous time. The best option was to keep the miraculous in her possession. The thought of it made Emily feel sick.

She heard muffled sobbing coming from an alleyway to her right. Turning away from the water, Emily moved curiously towards the noise, staying in the shadows. To her interest, it was only a teenage girl. The girl had flaming red hair, glasses, and was bawling her eyes out. Unable to ignore the motherly instinct that still tore at her chest, Emily moved out of the shadows.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently. The girls head snapped up and she furiously tried to dry her tears.

"N-nothing!" she blurted out, looking at the strange blonde lady from beneath the rim of her glasses. Confusion flooded across her face. "Hey, you kinda look like one of my classma-"

"Adrien Agreste?" Emily cut her off. The girl nodded. "I'm his mother. Who are you?"

"Sabrina Raincomprix," the girl sniffed.

"What's wrong?" Emily prodded gently. The girl sniffled again.

"All my life, I chased after another girl. She could be a bit mean, but, but we were best friends!" Sabrina burst into tears again. "And I tried to please her and I worked so hard! And I just wanted to help people! And she needed help! And I couldn't stop her from being mean and I just felt so helpless..."

"You know how you could help me?" Emily asked. Sabrina looked up as Emily held out a pin shaped as a peacock's tail. It glistened in the sunlight from the setting sun. "Protect this for me. Don't tell anyone you have it. It will be safe with an anonymous holder. Tell Adrien you have it."

"I-I will," Sabrina said, nodding. She took the pin from Emily, feeling the cold hard medal with her fingers. "I'll keep it safe."

"Thank you," Emily promised. "And if you ever decide to wear it, you can help more people than one." Then she walked back into the shadows and disappeared, her faint footsteps echoing in the distance. Sabrina cocked her head to one side, confused.

"Might as well try it on," she muttered, slipping the pin on her shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MLB Theory: Sabrina should get the Peacock miraculous. Look at her outfit. Look at the colors. Don't fight me on this ya'll.


	41. Epilogue: A New Beginning

**Epilogue: A New Beginning**

_~3 Weeks Later~_

Marinette shoved her books into her pink book bag as the school bell rang. She groaned and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "This broken air conditioning is killing me!" she announced. Alya smiled as she slid her phone into her pocket.

"Relax Marinette. We only have one more week of school! Then summer, sun, vacation…"

"Yeah Marinette. You need to _chill_!" Adrien chided, swiveling backwards to face her and winking. Marinette groaned.

"Your puns are awful."

"Ouch, Princess. That's _cold_." Nino laughed as Marinette slapped her hand against her forehead. Chloe came over from the other side of the table. Sabrina following her.

Although Sabrina still followed the girl, she wasn't her slave anymore. And ever since she became the new Peacock, she started standing up for herself a lot more. She filled the final hole of the Miraculous Team, and the others were glad to have her. Sabrina really was an awesome friend once you got to know her.

"Pizza party at my place! Just the seven of us!" Chloe announced. Marinette lit up a bit.

"Pizza?" she asked hopefully. "I'll be there."

Chloe smiled and waved at Nathan, who blushed, before ducking out of the classroom. Alya watched her go. "I still can't believe how much progress that girl has made," she whispered to Marinette. Marinette smiled.

Nowadays, Chloe wore more middle-market clothes. They weren't very fancy, but they weren't cheap either. Today she was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a cute yellow blouse. And her hair was down. Down! Not to mention she got rid of about 75% of her makeup and she gave up on keeping her nails perfect while fighting. And she was a lot nicer to everyone. She really had come a long way.

"Well, I need to go. Adrien and I promised to handle the afternoon shift. Come on Adrien!" Adrien slung his bag over his shoulder and, flashing his girlfriend a grin, followed her out the door. Nino and Alya were planning on heading out on a date later that day. Nathan looked at the happy couple wistfully. Becoming Volpino made him more confident, but he still didn't have the confidence to ask Chloe out. What if she turned him down because he wasn't good enough?

Finally, all of the students evacuated the school and went on with their lives, leaving the teachers to sort through stacks of homework. Adrien and Marinette found themselves in the kitchen, having promised to bake no less than 100 cupcakes before they could leave.

Adrien groaned. "Where do we even start?" He had gotten much better at baking from the three weeks of living with the Dupain-Chengs, but he was still an amateur. Marinette pulled on her apron and tied her hair back in a short ponytail, a determined look flashing in her eyes. She tossed Adrien his own apron (a green one decorated with baking puns, no less, all thanks to Tom).

"You pre-heat the oven and pull out the bowls and equipment stuff. I'll get the ingredients. Then we go from there."

"Deal!" Adrien took off, skidding to a halt in front of the oven and twisting the knobs around. Marinette made her way to the bakery's refrigerator and started pulling out stuff. They were going to get this done if it killed them.

############################################################################################################################################################

Two hours later, they had 100 beautifully decorated cupcakes all specially arranged on trays to show Tom and Sabine. They themselves, however, looked like a pastry train wreck. Marinette laughed as Adrien swiped some frosting off of her chick and licked it. "Delicious!" he announced happily.

Marinette surveyed the mess the kitchen was in. "We really ought to learn how to bake together without making such a mess."

"You started it! You can't sneak up behind me and squirt icing down my shirt without some sort of retaliation!"

"Did the retaliation have to be accidently knocking an entire bowl of batter over?" Marinette asked, raising one eyebrow skeptically. Adrien raised his hands in mock surrender.

"You surprised me!"

"I thought you have cat-like reflexes! And you should have seen me coming!"

"Well now I'm coming!" Adrien said, leaping towards her. Shocked, Marinette skidded backwards, knocking a few spatulas off of the counter. Adrien chased her around the kitchen, both of them skidding on icing. Finally, he caught her and pinned her down, planting a quick kiss on her lips. She laughed.

"Okay. Down kitty, down!" she shoved him off, still laughing as her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket.

 **Chloe** : _Pizza's here and ready whenever you come._

 **Sabrina** : _We got everyone's favs!_

 **Nino** : _on r way_

 **Marinette** : _Kitty and I will be there soon, we have a slight situation here._

To prove it, she and Adrien took a selfie.

 **Marinette** : _*frosting covered selfie*_

 **Alya** : _You both look great!_

 **Nino** : _dude that's gonna take you forevs to clean… more pizza for us_

"Too bad you can't use your cleansing powers…" Adrien said regretfully, looking around the kitchen.

"Too bad," Marinette agreed, wincing.

In the end, it only took them a half an hour. They were incredibly fast and their excellent teamwork skills helped them to maneuver around the kitchen and take care of the mess in half the time it seemed it would take. After they changed into clean clothes (and retrieved Tikki and Plagg from Marinette's room) they headed to Le Grand Paris Hotel.

The doorman let them in without a word, and they headed up to Chloe's room. They could hear loud laughing before they even reached the door. Walking through, Adrien and Marinette found all of their friends sitting around in a circle, munching on pizza. Nino was telling a story, waving his hands in the air dramatically.

"So then Adrien came up with the best idea! We got some of those ear walkie talkie things and I went to the zoo, with Adrien talking to me through that! I was so nervous I could barely breathe, so all I could do was try and follow what he said."

Alya burst out laughing. "MARINETTE AND I DID THAT! She thought she was going on a date with Adrien, so I was coaching her through an earpiece! She was SO confused when you came alone!"

They all started laughing as Adrien turned to Marinette and raised one eyebrow. She blushed. "And then!" Alya continued, "And then LADYBUG locks us in a cage together, and… Wait a second that was Marinette!"

"Guilty," Marinette said loudly, alerting them all of her presence. Alya whipped around.

"I told you under no circumstances was I going on a date with Nino! And then you do THAT!"

"Well it wasn't technically a date," Nino said, shrugging. Alya shook her head, chuckling.

"Man, how blind were we?"

"Pretty blind," Nino agreed.

"I think the real question is, how stealthy are we?" Adrien asked, grinning. "It's not exactly easy to lead a double life, especially when one of your close friends is Alya, Ladybug chaser extraordinaire."

"How did I not see it?" Alya groaned.

The rest of the day was just as fun. After they devoured the pizza (Plagg ate about 5 pieces of cheese pizza) the kwami hung around on Chloe's bed, swapping stories about their Chosen and their past chosen. The teens, however, decided to play the world's most complicated game of Hide and Seek (or as we sophisticated teenagers call it, Man Hunt). When it got to be late and the sun was going down, they took the game to the rooftops.

Jade and Chat were on a team together, just because Adrien had not recovered from his injuries yet (and probably wouldn't for some time going forward). For the rest of the team, it was every man for himself. Laughter filled the air as they chased each other around Paris.

Finally, Chat slipped away from Jade and headed towards the rooftop that he and Ladybug met every single day for patrol before… before everything. Ladybug was already there, sitting with her back against the rooftop and her knees pulled up to her chest. Chat clumsily made his way over and tapped her shoulder.

"Found you," he said softly. She looked up at him and smiled a bit, before looking down again. Chat sat down beside her. The two of them sat in silence for what felt like hours, just looking at the stars and listening to each other breathe. Finally, Ladybug broke the silence.

"Are you going to miss this?"

"Miss what?"

"Everything. This. There are new miraculous users. It isn't just Ladybug and Chat Noir anymore. Now it's the whole miraculous team. And we're in charge of them. Now we have to watch their backs in every fight. Now we have to train them until they know as much as we do. They'll take some of our patrols. They'll be hanging out at the top of the Eiffel Tower too. And as much as I love my friends, I can't help but miss this. Us."

Chat stared morosely at the stars for a bit, thinking it over. He took in a deep breath. "I think that it will be a little strange at first. Places that only we could get to and things that only we could do aren't just ours anymore. But I think some of it will be for the better. How many nights did you miss doing homework and wake up exhausted because of akuma attacks and patrols?"

"Too many," Ladybug mumbled. Chat slung his arm around her shoulder.

"Exactly. Of course, we don't have akuma attacks anymore. But trust me, something will come up. Now we can spend more time helping people and enjoying being Ladybug and Chat Noir, and less time suffering the consequences in our civilian lives."

"I guess you're right," Ladybug admitted softly. Chat pulled her into a hug.

"Besides," he whispered in her ear. "This is our city. We found it first. We know every single nook and cranny. Who says we have to show them everything?"

Ladybug looked up, and suddenly he was leaning in and she was letting him and it was the best kiss she had ever had. They stayed together, kissing until they couldn't breathe, for the next several minutes.

"Somehow, I think everything will work out just fine," Chat whispered, gazing lovingly into her blue eyes.

"Somehow," Ladybug smiled, "I think you're right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank you to EVERYONE who has read and commented on this fic! 
> 
> Also, a HUGE thank you and shout out to everybody that recommended my fic to their friends or fanfic readers. And to everybody who drew fanart (I would still love links if you'll send them).
> 
> When I started this I was just a really insecure fourteen year old girl, who wanted to write a very short fic about a TV show, who thought maybe she would get five reviews at best. I admired so many fanfic writers and I dreamed about the day where I could be one of them. I tried so hard, even though I KNEW (well, I thought I knew) that nobody would really like it.
> 
> So here's my message to every other writer out there (for fanfics or otherwise). Try. If you have an idea, you have something inside of you begging to be let out, let it out. Do it. Sit down at your computer or pull out paper and a pencil and do it. Share it with others if you want. Keep it private if you want.
> 
> The thing is, don't compare yourself to your favorite authors and beat yourself up because you're not that good. Because you can become that good. And the only way to do that is if you write. You may look back on your first pieces of writing and laugh at how awful they were, but that's good. That means you improved.
> 
> If you worry about spelling and grammar, find a beta. They're here to help and encourage you. Actually, if you're worried about ANYTHING, my advice would be to go find a fellow writer. It could be someone you look up to, it could be someone random, and send them a message asking for opinion. They may never message you back. They might give you so much inspiration you might burst. They may give you constructive criticism, and help you to become a better writer.
> 
> I've gotten many messages like that. I've never turned one down. I read the fics or plot ideas, I give advice. Some of these people I consider better writers than I am. Some end up writing fics that I avidly await to be updated.
> 
> So ask for help, and if you are asked for help, be polite. Lend a hand.
> 
> Anyway, that was the end of my long rant. I'm sorry…
> 
> ANYWAYS, OFFICIAL STUFF NOW! IF YOU SKIPPED THAT WHOLE LONG THING UP THERE, YOU ARE PROBABLY GONNA WANT TO READ WHAT'S DOWN HERE!
> 
> The Big Question: WILL THERE BE A SEQUEL?
> 
> My Big Answer: Um…. I don't know.
> 
> Readers: Wow. Great Lily. Thanks.
> 
> Just stay posted. I don't know what else to tell you. There might be a sequel, but I don't know. It might not be for a while. But if I do post a sequel, I'll put another chapter A/N on Secrets and Betrayals. So if you leave that in your follow box, you'll be notified if/when I post the sequel.
> 
> Anyway, I love all of you guys so much! I've met so many new people and so many new friends! Leave a review if you want, and I guarantee I'll respond! I love hearing from all of you, and I hope we can still stick together as writers and readers in this wonderful fandom.
> 
> Au revoir!
> 
> -LilyTheNinjaGirl


	42. Final Note

**Hello everybody!**

**So I actually had told myself I definitely was NOT going to write a sequel under ANY circumstances, because I'm so busy and I'd be sacrificing my grades and my health and my life to write anything decent... only to be bombarded by amazing, lovely reviews asking and begging for a sequel. I had a few ideas in my head and I guess they sort of just took off.**

**So, the moment you have all been waiting for! The sequel to Secrets and Betrayals has been posted! It's called Escapades of Friendship and you can find it on my profile. You can also find it on Wattpad and Fanfiction.net. I have crossposted all of S &B on Wattpad and Fanfiction.net. I will be crosspostig Escapades of Friendship on Wattpad and Fanfiction.net as well. My username for both sites are the same as my ao3: LilyTheNinjaGirl.**

**Thank you for all of your amazing comments! You are really the only thing keeping me going right now. I might need a lot of support to get through this sequel, but I'm sure we can make it! You guys are awesome! Love you all!**

**~LilyTheNinjaGirl**


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